The Belmont Abbey baseball team dropped a 10-4 decision to the visiting Catawba Indians this afternoon at Abbey Yard. Catawba evens its record to 4-4, while the Abbey slips to 6-7.

After two scoreless innings, Catawba plated three in the top of the third, using a Craige Lyerly double, followed by a two-run homer by Chris Ahearn. The Crusaders would get one back in the bottom half of the frame, as Josh Frazier led off with a single to right, moved to second on a groundout and scored on a triple to center by Tyler McKenzie.

The Indians would respond by scoring seven unanswered runs, getting three in the fourth and two in the sixth and seventh, respectively, to build a 10-1 advantage. Belmont Abbey would score two in the bottom of the seventh, as Frazier led off with a double, moved to third on a hit/throwing error off the bat of Roland Rodriguez, and scored on a groundout by Spencer Sobol. Rodriguez later scored on a groundout to first. Belmont Abbey would score the last run of the game on an opposite field home run by centerfielder Justin Vasquez.

Belmont Abbey recorded nine hits as Frazier and Vasquez both finished with two each. McKenzie drove in a pair of runs. Catawba rapped out 13 hits as Lyerly finished five for five with three runs batted in. Ahearn and Josh Hohn also drove in three runs.

Travis McSweeney, the second of six Indian pitchers, was credited with the win after allowing one hit over one scoreless inning, fanning one. Abbey starter Michael Maples was charged with the loss after allowing three runs on four hits in three innings, striking out six and walking one.