The Southwestern Pirates defeated the Hendrix warriors 10-9 in dramatic fashion to take the opener of this weekend's series today at Rockwell field.

Pirates' first baseman Kyle Belski launched a long homerun to left center with the score tied 9-9 and one out in the bottom of the ninth to give the Bucs a walk-off win. The blast sent the Pirates' bench and their fans into a frenzy and was a fitting end to a game that was exciting from the beginning.

Things did not start out well for the Pirates. Hendrix scored in each of the first four innings, including a five run rally in the fourth. They eventually stretched their lead to 9-0 after their half of the sixth.

Despite the large deficit there was no quit in the Pirates on this day. Reliever Russell Kelly held the Warriors scoreless for the last three innings and the Pirate offense responded with two big innings, scoring five in the sixth and four in the eighth to set the stage for Belski's heroics.

Charlie Garrett was the offensive spark that got the Pirates back in the game. He went 3-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. In the sixth, he started Southwestern's rally with a leadoff triple, eventually scoring on Nate Shipp's single. In the eighth his two out, two run double got the Pirates to within one at 9-8. The next batter, Todd Boone took drove Hendrix reliever Matt Diehl's first pitch into left for a single, scoring Garrett and tying the game.

On the mound, Russell Kelly gave the Pirates the chance to comeback with his stellar outing. He threw four innings of relief, allowing no runs and only three hits to open the door for his teammates. They rewarded him by getting him the win, his first of the season. 

The Pirates will face the Warriors again tomorrow in the season finale at Rockwell Field, starting at 1:00 PM.