Baseball Splits Doubleheader With St. Anselm, Winning 9-0 & Losing 10-2

Justin Vasquez Posted Five Hits In Ten At Bats With A Double And Three Runs Scored

The Belmont Abbey baseball team split a doubleheader with the visiting St. Anselm Hawks this afternoon, taking the opener 9-0 but falling in the nightcap 10-2. The Abbey is now 6-2, while  St. Anselm moves to 1-1. The rubber game of the series is tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.

In the opener, three Crusader pitchers held the Hawks to just five hits while striking out seven and walking just one in the complete game shutout. Starting pitcher Steven Thiele earned the win as he allowed four hits over six scoreless innings-the longest outing by an Abbey starting pitcher this year, matched by Cody Stull in game two-while striking out four and walking none. He moves to 1-0 with the win. Neil Hessek was charged with the loss after he allowed six runs on four hits in two and one-thirds innings. He falls to 0-1. Abbey relievers Billy Timmerman and Michael Curet worked the final three innings and allowed just one hit and struck out three combined.

The Crusaders got all the runs they would need in the bottom of the first as Justin Vasquez ripped a two-out triple off the wall in right and scored on Stephen Mullis's homer third home run of the year, a shot down the rightfield line.

Two innings later the advantage grew to 6-0 as Justin Vasquez reached on a fielder's choice when Ian Vazquez beat the throw home on a grounder to second. Vazquez led off with a walk, stole second and raced to third on a groundout. Later in the frame, Emilio Pagan drove in two runs with a single up the middle, scoring Mullis and Vasquez. Kyle Buchanan, who reached on a walk earlier, scored from third on a sacrifice fly to right by Matt Mazzolla that upped the lead to 6-0.

Belmont Abbey closed the scoring the next inning with three runs, as Buchanan brought home Amor with a sacrifice fly, Joey Frabasile singled home Mullis, who walked, and Mazzolla laced a single to left that brought home Pagan. 

Vasquez and Pagan both finished with 12 hits as the Abbey totaled 12 in the game. Mullis, Pagan and Mazzolla all drove in two runs apiece.

In the nightcap, which was seven innings, St. Anselm scored the first five runs of the game, all unearned, courtesy of four Crusader errors. The Hawks scored one in the second as Daniel DeCoste led off with a walk and moved all the way to third as Dan Lagasse sent a grounder to third, and Pagan's throw was well wide of first, allowing Lagasse to move to second. Catcher Nate Gonya brought home DeCoste with a sacrifice fly.

One inning later,the Abbey made three errors which led to four unearned runs for St. Anselm, which padded its lead to 5-0.

The Abbey began to chip away in the fourth, taking advantage of a Hawks error to score a run. Pagan dribbled a roller in front of Goya' whose throw sailed into the outfield, allowing Vasquez to score from second.

St. Anselm went down in order in the fifth, and the Crusaders added another in the bottom of the inning as Mazzolla led off getting hit by a pitch and moved to second on a single by Caleb Shore. After Vazquez reached on a fielder's choice that moved Shore to second but cut down Mazzolla at third, Vasquez singled home Shore to cut the deficit to 5-2.

The Hawks got one right back in the top of the sixth as Gonya led off with a single up the middle, was sacrificed to second by Richie Manzi and scored on Andrew Chandler's single to center.

St. Anselm blew the game wide open in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs on four hits, including a two RBI double by Gonya and a two RBI single by Kyle Grumoli.

The Crusaders posted six hits but were charged with four errors. Vasquez finished three for four with an RBI. St. Anselm was led by Gonya's two hits and three RBI as the Hawks posted eight hits and three errors.

Hawks starter Sean Hayden earned the win as he allowed just two runs, one earned, on five hits in five innings. He fanned four and did not issue a walk. Stull was the tough luck loser allowing six runs, only one earned, on four hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked three.

Game One Box
Game Two Box