BELMONT, NC- The Belmont Abbey baseball team split a CVAC doubleheader with visiting Barton College this afternoon at Abbey Yard, outlasting the Bulldogs 17-12 in the opener before falling 12-7 in the second game. The Crusaders are now 18-12 overall and 9-5 in the CVAC, while Barton is 17-17 overall and 7-6 in the CVAC.

The first game was an offensive explosion, as the two teams combined for 29 runs on 33 hits. Barton jumped ahead 3-0 in the top of the first, before the Crusaders tied the game with three in their half of the third. Barton regained the lead in the fourth, taking advantage of an Abbey error to score four times to surge ahead 7-3.

Belmont Abbey responded in kind in its half of the inning, scoring four times, two coming on the first of three Will Breslin homers of the day, to tie the game at seven. The Bulldogs scored twice more in the fifth to grab a 9-7 lead, but the Crusaders chipped away at the lead, scoring once in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by catcher Josh Cable that scored senior shortstop Josh Haire, who ripped a one out single.

Trailing 9-8, Abbey second baseman Alex Castellanos gave the Crusaders the lead for good in the sixth, as he clubbed a three-run shot to dead center to give the Abbey an 11-8 lead. Barton would score two in the seventh and one in the eighth, but the Abbey negated that with three in its half of the seventh, using an RBI single by leftfielder Tyler McKenzie and a two-run homer by rightfielder Alex Udwari. The Crusaders added three more in the eighth to push the advantage to 17-12, which was the final.

Andrew Morton earned the win after holding Barton to three runs on three hits in three innings of relief of starter Andy Helms. Morton fanned three and walked one. Barton starter Chris Hill was charged with the loss after yielding 10 runs, nine earned, on 11 hits in five and two-thirds innings of work. He fanned three and walked a pair.

The second game started out as a pitchers duel, as neither team produced a run until Barton would take a lead it would never lose with a run in the third, getting an RBI single by Jonathan Nichols that scored shortstop Zach Boyette.

The Bulldogs would add single runs in the fourth and fifth, and plated four more in the sixth to open up a 7-0 advantage, before the Abbey would make it a game by scoring five times in the fifth, four coming on a Breslin grand slam to cut the lead to 7-5. Barton would respond in kind, exploding four five runs in the top of the seventh (and last) inning to build a 12-7 lead. The Abbey would get two more in the bottom half on a two-run shot by Breslin.

Breslin finished the contest 2-6, driving in six of the Abbey's seven runs, and scored twice. Udwari finished 2-3 with a pair of runs scored.

Brandon Brinson earned the win after allowing five runs on six hits in five innings of work. Jimmy Metzinger was credited with the save after entering the game with the tying run on deck in the fifth. He worked the final two innings and allowed two runs on three hits. Jason Cline was charged with the loss. He allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits in five innings. He walked four and struck out four.