The Belmont Abbey baseball team grabbed a 4-3 lead in the top of the tenth on a solo homer by second baseman Alex Castellanos, but Mount Olive scored twice in the bottom of the inning to claim a 5-4 win and advance to the finals of the Conference Carolinas Baseball Tournament at historic Fleming Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Trojans improved to 43-4 on the season and awaits the winner of tonight's losers bracket game in the championship game scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Fleming Stadium. The Crusaders, who maintain a 34-18 record, will battle the winner of the No. 2 Erskine College/No. 7 Pfeiffer University game at 7:00 p.m. Saturday night for the right to face MOC in the finals.

Castellanos led off the top of the tenth with a solo home run. Castellanos' 10th blast of the season over the left-center fence broke a 3-3 tie and put the Crusaders within three outs of upsetting the nation's top ranked Division II team.

Eric Lovett started the Trojans rally with a one-out walk. Josh Harrison then tied the contest for the fourth time with a triple to the right-center wall that scored pinch runner Joseph Westbrook. The next two Mount Olive batters were struck by pitches to load the bases sending senior Anthony Williams to the plate. Williams flared a bloop-single just inside the right-field line and just outside the reach of the diving Castellanos to score Harrison for the winning run.

Todd Jeffreys was credited with the win improving to 4-1 on the season while Andrew Morton was tagged with the loss.
Crusaders starter Michael Raymond kept the designated visitors in the game allowing just two earned runs over seven innings while recording five strikeouts. Mount Olive starter Ryan Schlecht went eight and one-thirds innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts.

Lovett, sophomore Jesse Lancaster and senior Jason Sherrer all hit safely two times in the 11-hit Trojan attack. Tyler McKenzie led Belmont Abbey with two hits and a two-run double in the fifth. BAC had eight total hits in the game.