Toppers earn series finale win over Firehawks after split
BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. — Blue Mountain Christian University split a Saturday Southern States Athletic Conference doubleheader with UT Southern, falling 5-3 in the second game before rallying for an 8-6 victory in the series finale at Topper Field.
In the second game, UT Southern struck first with two runs in the third inning. Blue Mountain tied it in the seventh when Jacob Bryant delivered a two-run double that scored Jake Meilstrup and Gavin Foley. The Firehawks regained the lead in the ninth with three runs. Ross Polizzi hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom half to score Meilstrup, but the Toppers fell short. Blue Mountain finished with nine hits; Meilstrup went 3-for-4 with two runs, Yaidel Perez had two hits and Bryant drove in two. Chris Matthews threw a complete game, allowing five runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and took the loss.
The Toppers responded in the finale with a four-run second inning highlighted by Bryant’s three-run homer and added three runs in the third on RBI doubles by Trace Roy and Garret Lance and an RBI single by Foley to build a 7-0 lead. UT Southern scored five in the fourth to pull within 7-5, but Jarrett Morris’s RBI single extended the lead to 8-5. The Firehawks added one in the seventh, and Blue Mountain held on for the 8-6 win. The Toppers collected 13 hits; Roy went 4-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, Bryant finished with a homer, three RBIs, two runs and three walks, and Lance had two hits and an RBI.
Benji Webb earned the victory, working seven innings and striking out 10 while allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits to improve to 4-1. The win allowed Blue Mountain to close the series on a positive note as it continues SSAC play. The Toppers travel to Thomas University in Georgia on March 27. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
