Hattiesburg, Miss.- The Blue Mountain Christian Toppers baseball answered back in a big way in Game 2 to earn a split in their final SSAC regular-season doubleheader against the No. 15 William Carey Crusaders baseball on Friday afternoon.
After falling 2-1 in a tightly contested opener, the Toppers responded with an 11-5 victory, fueled by a breakout offensive performance and a complete game effort on the mound from Benji Webb.
Game 1 unfolded as a pitcher's duel, with Blue Mountain Christian striking first in the third inning. 
Jake Meilstrup came around to score on a Cody Presley RBI double to give the Toppers a 1-0 lead. 
William Carey answered in the bottom half of the inning and later used a sacrifice fly in the fifth to take a 2-1 advantage.
The Toppers were limited to three hits in the opener, with Presley accounting for the lone RBI. Jacob Bryant and Jarrett Morris each added hits, while the Toppers worked three walks and left seven runners on base.
On the mound, Christian Maness battled through 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while navigating six walks. 
Ryan Murphy followed with 1.2 scoreless innings in relief to keep the game within reach.
Momentum shifted quickly in Game 2.
Bryant set the tone in the first inning with a two-run home run to left field, scoring Meilstrup to give the Toppers an early 2-0 lead. 
After the Crusaders answered with a run, Blue Mountain Christian broke the game open in the second inning.
Reise Thomas delivered an RBI double before Meilstrup added an RBI single. Bryant followed with another RBI knock to extend the lead to 5-1.
The Toppers continued to build separation in the fourth, as Bryant drove in two more runs with a single, and Presley added an RBI double to push the lead to 8-1. 
Jarrett Morris and Yaidel Perez each contributed RBI later in the game as the Toppers stretched the advantage to double digits.
Bryant led the offensive surge, going 3-for-3 with four runs scored and five RBI. Meilstrup added two hits and scored twice, while Presley collected two hits and an RBI. 
Thomas also crossed the plate twice and drove in a run as the Toppers totaled 11 hits.
On the mound, Webb delivered a complete game performance, allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out six across 9.0 innings. 
Despite late pushes from William Carey, Webb worked through traffic and finished the outing to secure the win.
The Toppers will conclude the regular season series against the Crusaders with Game 3 on Saturday.
 
 
 
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