PEARL, Miss. – The Millsaps baseball team pitched well into the night, but eventually dropped Game Two of the Cowboy Maloney Series, 4-1 at Trustmark Park on Tuesday.
 
Millsaps (19-8) utilized seven pitchers attempting to claim the Cowboy Maloney Series trophy but were unable to hold off Belhaven (18-9), who broke through in the eighth inning.

Sixth year Branyan Bounds (2-for-3, walk) and senior Evan Scott (2-for-5, RBI, double) both recorded two hits.

Senior Bradley Pelle as well as juniors EJ Ousley (walk) and Mason Morgan (two walks, stolen base) earned a hit each.

Sixth year Wil Wood, freshman Cam Cressend (2.0 IP), classmate Sam Thomas (3.0 IP), graduate Jackson Hood and fellow graduate Clay Busby each held the Blazers scoreless.

After two quick outs by Wood in the first inning, the Blazers placed two runners on after a pair of walks. A slow hit ball then rolled to senior Gray Berry at third base, who made the heads-up throw for a force out at second to end the threat.

The Majors challenged right back by loading the bases in the top of the second as Morgan singled a hot shot hit back to the pitcher, which was followed by Bounds and graduate Jackson Ware walks. A force play at second though closed out the chance.

Belhaven struck for the first run of the evening in the bottom of the second with two outs. An effective bunt single, steal of second and ensuing single through the left side made it 1-0.

With two outs in the third, Scott cracked a ball off the left-field fence. He was left on base with an unassisted ground out at first base.

The Majors then cleared the bases of Blazers with a rundown play between second and third base in the bottom of the fourth.

In the top of the fifth, Millsaps knotted up the game at 1-1. Graduate David Abbadessa walked, Berry was hit by a pitch before Pelle reached on a fielder's choice, which caused a force play at third. Scott then stepped in and tallied his second hit of the outing and singled home Berry.

Millsaps looked poised to take the lead in the sixth after loading the bases with one out courtesy of two walks and a Bounds single. However, a double-play lineout ended the opportunity.

Both teams put runners in scoring position in the seventh. Ousley walked and moved to second on a passed ball, while the Blazers led off their inning with a single. A bunt and ground out advanced the Belhaven runner to third. However, ground outs provided the final outs in each half frame.

The theme of escape continued as a double play stopped another Major chance in the top of the eighth.

Belhaven then finally broke the stalemate in their bottom half of the eighth with three runs. The Blazers utilized one hit, a walk and four hit by pitches.

Pelle later provided a one-out hit and Ousley tallied an infield single with two outs in the top of the ninth. However, it was not enough as a fly out ended Game Two of the Cowboy Maloney Series in favor of the Blazers.
 
Millsaps will resume conference play by next hosting Oglethorpe University on Friday. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. with live video and live stats available at gomajors.com.


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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.