PEARL, Miss. -- The LeTourneau baseball team rebounded from a game one loss and used a three-run homer from Dane Jones and clutch bullpen pitching to take game two, 10-8, over Belhaven on Friday night at Trustmark Park in Pearl.

LeTourneau dropped the opener, 10-2.

LeTourneau (5-5) is now 3-1 this season in games decided by two runs or fewer.

GAME TWO: LeTourneau 10, Belhaven 8

Jones hit his first home run of the season as part of a five-run second inning for LeTourneau and the YellowJacket bullpen arms came up with big outs in a 10-8 victory in game two.

LeTourneau opened the game with a run in the first inning on Luke Land's RBI single that plated Austin Wiederhold. After the host Blazers got a run back in the bottom of the first, LeTourneau exploded for five runs on five hits in the second inning to take a 6-1 lead.

Jones had the big blow in the inning. The program's all-time leader in home runs launched a three-run shot to left field to give the YellowJackets a 5-1 lead. The homer was the 42nd of Jones' career.

Ben Jones had an RBI single earlier in the inning and Land added another RBI single later to give the YellowJackets a five-run lead.

Belhaven got within a run twice later in the game. The Blazers scored four runs in the third to cut the margin to 6-5. Land had a sacrifice fly in the fourth for LeTourneau, but the Blazers answered back with another in their half of the fourth.

That is where the bullpen came in for the YellowJackets. Zac Schneider inherited a runner at third with nobody out and a one-run lead in the fourth inning, but got out of the jam with a strikeout to preserve the lead.

In the fifth, a leadoff triple from Belhaven's Austin Canale put the tying run at third with nobody out again. And again, Schneider stymied the Blazer bats as he struck out back-to-back hitters before inducing a fly out to end the threat.

Schneider (2-1) notched the win after going three innings with four strikeouts and two hits allowed.

Clayton Holt went two innings and held off the Blazers, including leaving the tying run on base in the eighth.

In the ninth, Cruz Cox struck out all three hitters to collect his second save of the season.

LeTourneau had 13 hits in the game, led by three each from Land and Ben Jones. Land finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Zach Zarko and Isaac Price had two hits in the win.

Dalton Pickett made the start and went three innings for the YellowJackets.

Belhaven starter Lane Alack (1-1) got the loss after allowing seven runs on seven hits with five strikeouts in three innings of work. Tristan Pearson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

GAME ONE: Belhaven 10, LeTourneau 2

The LeTourneau offense was held at bay by Belhaven starter Kade May and the Blazers used a four-run seventh inning to pull away for a 10-2 victory.

May (3-0) went seven innings allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts in the win.

A Dane Jones RBI double in the fifth inning put the YellowJackets on the board, but still trailing 3-1. Jack Kale also had an RBI double in the eighth inning to provide the offensive support for LeTourneau.

Jon David Weed was 3-for-6 with four RBIs and two runs scored for Belhaven, while Hunter Harrell went 4-for-4. Belhaven scored six runs between the seventh and eighth innings to pull away.

Aman Patel (0-2) went five innings in his start, while Lane Holman tossed three in relief.

UP NEXT

LeTourneau and Belhaven conclude their series on Saturday at 11 a.m. 

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