small wonders

Mississippi College appears to have found its stride, scoring 63 runs during its current four-game win streak. The Choctaws, scheduled to begin American Southwest Conference play this weekend at Louisiana College, are 7-6. Senior outfielder Brandon Benton was named the ASC East hitter of the week after going 9-for-15 with three homers in four games last week. The well-traveled Benton, a Pearl High alum who has also played at Hinds Community College and Belhaven, is hitting .435 for the season in eight games. ... Millsaps swept Austin College in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference series over the weekend to improve to 11-4 overall and 6-1 in the league. The number that jumps out for the Majors: 51. That's their stolen base total. Leading the way is senior Will Hawkins, better known for his power, with 13 steals. ... Belhaven (14-5) took Monday's rubber game against Loyola-New Orleans to move to 2-1 in the Southern States Athletic Conference. Josh Clarke, from Clinton via Hinds CC, got his third save in Monday's 6-3 win; he could be a key piece down the stretch for the Blazers. ... On the junior college front, Pearl River improved to 12-2 with a sweep of East Mississippi on Sunday. The Wildcats rode the pitching of Buck Bernard and Robert Marzoni. And Hinds (11-3) split a Monday doubleheader against defending national champ LSU-Eunice; the Eagles let a 3-1 lead get away in the seventh inning of Game 1 but bounced back for an 11-8 win in Game 2, getting a home run from Morris Grant.