JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps baseball team improved to 17-6 on the season after taking down Belhaven, 7-3 in Game One of the Cowboy Maloney Series at Twenty Field on Tuesday.
Graduate Jackson Ware had an outstanding performance as the Houston, Texas, native batted 3-for-5 with three RBIs. His hit and RBI totals were season highs.
Senior Gray Berry (two runs, hit by pitch), senior Bradley Pelle (run, two walks), graduate Case Page (RBI, run), sixth year Branyan Bounds (RBI, run, two walks, two stolen bases) and junior JR Moore (run, double) each recorded a hit against the Blazers.
Redshirt junior Will Norris opened the first inning strong against the Blazers on the mound, allowing zero hits, no runs and two walks.
Freshman Cam Cressend saw 2.2 innings pitched. The Mandeville, La., native struck out one batter while allowing two hits, no walks and one run.
Junior Sam Thomas also dominated on top of the hill. He struck out four hitters in 3.1 innings pitched to earn his first collegiate win. Thomas only allowed three hits, two runs and a walk.
Graduate Jackson Hood earned the save by shutting down the Blazers with four strikeouts in 2.0 hitless and scoreless innings.
With runners on second and third in the opening inning, Norris forced a groundout double play to escape the early jam.
After a strong start by the Majors in the top of the first inning, Ware hit a single up the middle to score Bounds and give the Majors an early 1-0 lead in the second.
An inning later, Bounds attacked the Blazers with a single up the middle of his own to extend the Majors' advantage to 2-0.
Moments later, Ware kept the momentum going for the Majors with an RBI-single. Ousley touched home plate to expand the Majors' edge to 3-0.
In the top of the fourth inning, Belhaven loaded the bases and a hit by pitch resulted in a run.
With the bases loaded by the Majors in the bottom of the fourth, Page plated Berry for a 4-1 lead.
Belhaven responded with a double to narrow the contest to 4-2.
Millsaps answered by loading the bases yet again in the fifth inning. Senior Evan Scott reached first base due to a low throw, which let Moore and Berry score to further the Major advantage to 6-2.
Belhaven homered in the seventh to reduce their deficit once more to 6-3.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Ware continued to dominate inside the batter's box. He blasted a ball through the left side to tally Page, increasing the margin on the scoreboard to 7-3.
Hood closed out the ninth inning by striking out two batters and forcing a fly out.
The Majors will next resume Southern Athletic Association action by traveling to Sewanee for a Saturday doubleheader, beginning at noon. Live video and live stats will be available at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College baseball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
