Blue Mountain, Miss. — The Blue Mountain Christian University baseball team earned a split against the UT Southern Firehawks on Saturday. The Toppers lost the second game 5-3 but secured the series with an 8-6 victory in the finale at Topper Field.
In Game 2, UT Southern scored two runs in the third inning before Blue Mountain responded with a two-RBI double from Jacob Bryant in the seventh to tie the game at 2-2. The Firehawks regained the lead with three runs in the ninth, and Blue Mountain scored once on a sacrifice fly by Ross Polizzi but fell short, losing 5-3. The Toppers finished with nine hits. Jake Meilstrup led with a 3-for-4 effort and two runs scored. Yaidel Perez added two hits, and Bryant drove in two runs. Chris Matthews pitched a complete game, allowing five runs on nine hits with five strikeouts in the loss.
Blue Mountain responded in the series finale with a strong offensive performance. The Toppers scored four runs in the second inning, highlighted by Bryant’s three-run home run. They added three more runs in the third, including RBI doubles from Trace Roy and Garret Lance and an RBI single from Foley, to lead 7-0. UT Southern scored five runs in the fourth, cutting the deficit to 7-5, but Blue Mountain answered with an RBI single from Jarrett Morris to extend the lead to 8-5. The Firehawks added a run in the seventh, but the Toppers held on for an 8-6 win.
Blue Mountain totaled 13 hits in the game. Roy was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. Bryant’s performance included a home run, three RBIs, two runs scored, and three walks. Lance added two hits and an RBI, while Morris, Foley, and Perez also contributed. Benji Webb earned the win on the mound, pitching seven innings, allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits with 10 strikeouts. The victory marked the Toppers’ first win of the series and kept them competitive in conference play in the SSAC.
