BELMONT, NC- The Belmont Abbey baseball team split a doubleheader with the Mount Olive Trojans at Abbey Yard this afternoon, falling 6-0 in the opener before taking the nightcap 6-5 on an RBI single by leftfielder Derek Swilley with two outs in the seventh. The split gives the Abbey a 7-3 record overall and a 1-1 mark in the CVAC, while the Trojans are now 5-5 overall and 1-1 in the CVAC.

Mount Olive grabbed the opener behind the efforts of pitcher Tom Layne, who held the Crusaders to just four hits in a complete-game shutout. He threw 137 pitches, 87 for strikes as he fanned seven and walked just two. Andy Helms fell to 2-1 in the loss, allowing six runs, four earned, on 12 hits in seven and one-thirds innings. He walked one and struck out one.

The Trojans got the only two runs it would need in the top of the second, as it took advantage of an error by Helms to score the first run on a failed pickoff attempt. One batter later, catcher Jason Sherrer singled home Dusin Richardson to widen the lead to 2-0.

The lead grew to 5-0 on a three-run homer by Scott Houin in the third, and the Trojans tacked on another in the seventh to close the scoring.

In the nightcap, the Trojans jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one, but the Abbey answered with a pair in its half on a two-run shot by shortstop Josh Haire. Mount Olive would regain the lead with two unearned runs in the second, and that was all of the scoring until the fifth, when Abbey second baseman Alex Castellanos tied the game at five with a towering homer to left, his fifth. The score remained deadlocked at five until the bottom of the seventh and final inning.

In near darkness, first baseman Will Breslin drew a one-out walk. After a pitching change and a strikeout, Breslin stole second, and moved to third on an infield single by third baseman Jordan Pegram. Swilley followed with a lacing single to right on an 0-1 pitch, allowing Breslin to score easily from third base with the winning run.

Abbey reliever Evan Jonas, the fifth pitcher of the afternoon, improved his record to 2-1 after striking out one in a third of an inning. Weston Curles took the loss, surrendering the winning run. He struck out two and walked two in an inning of work. He falls to 0-2.