WILSON, NC - Belmont Abbey and Barton battled through the longest game in CVAC Baseball Tournament history on Friday afternoon, and the Barton won the contest 4-3 in 17 innings.

After the sixth-seeded Bulldogs and the second-seeded Crusaders played to a 2-2 deadlock through nine innings, neither team plated a run in the next seven innings of their loser's bracket game.

In the top of the 17th, the Abbey's Alex Castellanos reached on a throwing error and moved all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt by Seth Waller. He scored on Will Breslin's single to make it 3-2 Abbey.

With one out in the bottom of the 17th, David Bunn bunted his way aboard, Jimmy Metzinger beat out a slow dribbler to third base and Will Johnson walked to load the bases. Brett Norris came in run for Metzinger. Pinch hitter Ben Deese grounded the ball to short and Johnson was forced out at second. However, as Abbey tried to turn the double play, Johnson collided with the Crusaders' second baseman, who threw the ball away at first base. Bunn had already scored and Norris rounded home as the ball bounded away.

Abbey was backing up the wild throw and fired the ball home, but in a bang-bang play, Norris just beat the tag at home plate for a 4-3 win.

The two teams managed 20 total hits and eight pitchers toed the mound. Brandon Brinson (7-4) was the winner for Barton and John Merritt (0-3) took the loss for Abbey.

In a key series of plays, Barton center fielder Travis Holloman robbed Alex Udwari of a home run in the top of the 15th inning by climbing over the fence at 385 feet, then ended that inning with a diving catch while racing in toward second base.