Baseball Edged At #10 Catawba, 3-2

Justin Vasquez Led The Abbey With Three Hits

The Belmont Abbey baseball team closed out its non-conference schedule with a 3-2 loss at the tenth-ranked Catawba College Indians this evening. The contest was delayed one hour and 20 minutes in the top of the sixth due to weather. Catawba improves to 37-10, while the Abbey drops to 29-17.

All five runs scored came before the weather halted play after the top of the sixth, at 7:28 p.m. The contest resumed at 8:48 p.m. The Indians struck first in the bottom of the first on a three run homer by Chris Dula.

The Crusaders trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the fourth. Justin Vasquez led off with a single to center, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Emilio Pagan's double down the rightfield line. Pagan moved to third on a groundout and scored on Caleb Shore's single to right to pull the Abbey within one.

Belmont Abbey had its best chance to tie the game in the top of the sixth, as Vasquez led off with a double and moved to third on a groundout, but a strikeout, a walk to Stephen Mullis and a flyout to right ended the inning.

After the inning, the game was halted for an hour and 20 minutes. After it resumed, Catawba had a golden opportunity to widen its lead, loading the bases with one out, but a strikeout, and a ground ball double play ended in the inning.

Down to its final three outs, the Abbey put one runner aboard when Kyle Buchanan was hit by a pitch for the second time, but he was left stranded as the Indians held on.

Clay Watson, the second of five Catawba pitchers, earned the win in two innings of relief, as he gave up two runs on three hits, fanning one. Abbey starter Paul Stelling was charged with the loss. He yielded three runs on five hits in three and two-thirds innings, fanning three. Craig Brooks earned the save after working a scroreless ninth inning.

Vasquez led the Abbey with three hits. Shore and Ian Vazquez added two as the Crusaders registered ten. Dula led the Indians with two hits and three RBI, and Ethan Satterfield also had two hits as Catawba finished with eight.