Belmont Abbey scored the game's first 12 runs and held off a late Shippensburg rally as the Crusaders baseball team claimed a three-game series win with a 12-10 victory over the 23rd-ranked Raiders this afternoon at Abbey Yard. The Abbey improves to 3-3, while Shippensburg falls to 1-2.

The Crusaders scored one in the first, two in the second and third, three in the fourth and four in the fifth as they built a 12-0 lead. Shippensburg would counter with five in the seventh and ninth innings, but the Abbey would hold on for the win.

Andrew Morton earned the win after allowing three runs, two earned, on two hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked three. Andrew Burke was charged with the loss after he gave up seven runs on six hits in three and one-thirds innings. He walked three and struck out one.

After a Tyler McKenzie homer in the first, Justin Vasquez pushed the lead to 2-0 in the second on an RBI single that brought home Justin Baxley and Daniel Kassouf. One inning later, Kassouf blasted a solo homer followed by an RBI double by Vasquez to widen the advantage to 5-0.

In the fourth, the Abbey plated three, using a two-RBI single by Baxley, followed by a single by Carlos Vasquez that plated Kassouf.

The Crusaders blew the game wide open in the fifth by scoring five runs to extend their lead to 12-0. The Abbey used an RBI single from Roland Rodriguez that allowed Elio Rey, who opened the inning with a walk, to score, followed by a sacrifice fly from McKenzie that plated Patrick Atwell. Spencer Sobol followed with a two-run blast, his second in as many days, to up the lead to 12-0.

Shippensburg would cut the lead to 12-5 after scoring five in the seventh, four coming on a Sean Killian grand slam. The Raiders would make the game close in the ninth as they again scored five runs, all coming with two outs, but John Merritt was able to close the door and strike out Jimmy Miller to end the game.

The Abbey finished with 13 hits as five different players recorded two each. Justin Vasquez led the way with three runs batted in. Shippensburg finished with eight hits as Killian posted three hits in four at bats, with four runs batted in and a run scored.