every which way

It surely was a hot time in the city — or, rather, in the Jackson metro — on Tuesday night. At Millsaps' Twenty Field, the Majors and Belhaven split a Maloney Trophy Series doubleheader. At Clinton, Mississippi College topped Tougaloo 5-3. And in Pearl, Southern Miss outlasted Ole Miss 8-6 in a wacky 12-inning affair. Some observations: Forget the eight errors and the zero home runs at Trustmark Park. The show-stealing performance was put on by USM's Adam Doleac, who went 4-for-6 with three RBIs, including the game-winning runs in the top of the 12th. Let it be said that the Golden Eagles (24-8 and nationally ranked) have no shortage of hitters — or Ferriss Trophy candidates. ... MC is heating up. The Choctaws (19-12) have won 10 of their last 11, mostly with stout pitching. Stephen Byrd and Terrell Prescott combined to allow just two earned runs with 10 strikeouts against Tougaloo. The Bulldogs are 2-33, but they've never been more competitive. With no Gulf Coast Athletic Conference baseball this season, Tougaloo has had scheduling difficulties that have hurt its record. ... Belhaven (33-13) rode the pitching of Alan McHenry (5-1 with a complete game) to a 9-1 win over Millsaps in their opener, then watched as Will Hawkins drove in seven runs for the Majors (22-16) in the nightcap. Hammerin' Hawk is hitting .376 with six homers and 43 RBIs. The Majors lead the Maloney Series with a 3-1 mark. Belhaven is 2-1 and MC 0-3 with a game to play.