BELMONT, NC- Lenoir-Rhyne scored all six of its runs in the sixth inning, erasing a 4-0 Abbey lead, and held off a late rally as the Bears edged Belmont Abbey 6-5 this afternoon at Abbey Yard. Lenoir-Rhyne improves to 10-3, while the Crusaders fall to 7-6.

Kurt Benton, the second of four Bears pitchers, earned the win to improve to 1-0 on the year. He allowed three runs on four hits, striking out four and walking one in two innings. Josh Keller earned his first save, allowing one run on three hits in the final three and two-thirds innings. He struck out two and did not walk a batter. Andrew Morton fell to 0-2 after allowing the final two Bears runs, only one earned, on two hits in one-third of an inning.

The Abbey jumped ahead in the bottom of the second on a solo homer by first baseman Seth Waller, and the Crusaders pushed their lead to 4-0 after scoring three times in the fifth. Catcher Kyle Smith led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Patrick Atwell, and after Tyler McKenzie was hit by a pitch and Alex Udwari walked to load the bases, second baseman Alex Castellanos ripped a double to right to bring home Smith and McKenzie to widen the lead to 3-0. Waller followed with a single to left, scoring Castellanos to move ahead 4-0.

Abbey starting pitcher Brett Dipasquale made the lead stand up, as he held the Bears scoreless through the first five innings, escaping out of a jam in the second when the Bears had runners on second and third with one out, but he ended the threat with a strikeout and a groundout.

In the sixth, however, the Bears scored all six of its runs, using three straight singles to load the bases, and they got their first run on a bases loaded walk to cut the lead to 4-1. A sacrifice fly to center by Jordan Ackley cut the lead in half. After that at bat, Morton came in to relieve Dipasquale, and he gave up a three-run homer to Evan Taylor to give the Bears a 6-4 lead.

The Abbey would trim the lead to one in the seventh, as designated hitter Danny O'Brien brought home Waller on a groundout to second.

After going down in order in the eighth, the Crusaders had another chance in the ninth. Udwari led off with a single to center, but Keller retired the next three batters to preserve the win.

The Abbey pounded out 11 hits as Waller went 3-5 with a double and a homer. Udwari finished with two singles. Lenoir-Rhyne finished with 13 hits as shortstop Taylor MacCurdy went 3-4 with a run scored. The Bears were charged with two errors and the Abbey had one error.