The Belmont Abbey baseball team split its Conference Carolinas doubleheader with the visiting Limestone Saints this afternoon at Abbey Yard, winning the opener 14-6 and falling in the nightcap 5-3. The Abbey is now 10-12 overall and 4-4 in Conference Carolinas, while Limestone moves to 12-8 overall and 5-3 in Conference Carolinas.

In the opener, the Abbey erased a 4-0 Saints lead after two innings by scoring six unanswered runs, plating three in the second, one in the third and two more in the fourth. In the second, Justin Vasquez led off with a double and scored on a two-run homer by Daniel Kassouf to cut the Limestone lead to 4-2. After a groundout by Carlos Vasquez, Chris Vazquez cut the lead to 4-3 with a solo homer.

The Abbey knotted the game at three in the third on an RBI single by Danny Brion, scoring Tyler McKenzie, who led off the frame with a single. It would gain its first lead of the contest one inning later on a two-RBI single by McKenzie, scoring Caleb Shore and Vazquez.

Limestone answered by tying the game at six with two runs in its half of the fifth, using a single by Joseph Maloney that brought home Drew Lydon and David Christy, but the Abbey would get the lead for good as it scored the final eight runs of the game, claiming the lead for good with one run in the fifth on a Vazquez double, and another run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Kassouf that plated McKenzie.

Belmont Abbey broke the game wide open in the seventh, scoring six runs on five hits to claim a 14-6 win.

Tyler Powell picked up the win after allowing six runs, three earned, on 12 hits in seven and two-thirds innings. He fanned eight and did not issue a walk. Marques Kyles took the loss after giving up four runs, three earned, on four hits in two and one-thirds innings.

The Abbey finished with 17 hits as Vazquez finished four for four with three runs scored and three runs batted in. Kassouf finished one for five with three runs batted in.

Christy led Limestone's 14 hit attack with four hits in five at bats, driving in a run and scoring another.

In game two, Limestone jumped ahead 2-0 in the top of the first on a two run homer by Lydon, but the Abbey would claw back to tie the game at two with a run in the second and another in the third. Kassouf blasted a solo homer in the second to trim the lead to 2-1, and a Roland Rodriguez sacrifice fly in the third, scoring Patrick Atwell, deadlocked the game at two.

The Abbey broke the tie in the fifth as Rodriquez singled home Atwell, who led off the inning with a single, to give the Crusaders a 3-2 advantage.

The Saints would break through and reclaim the lead with three runs in the top of the sixth, all coming with two outs. The big blow was a double by Greg Dailey that plated one run, and the other two coming home on a double by Aldo Mendez to give the Saints a 5-3 lead, which was the final.

Jordan Barnett earned the win in a complete game three hit effort, striking out eight and walking none while giving up three runs on nine hits. Michael Raymond was charged with the loss after yielding five runs, four earned, on 11 hits in five and two-thirds innings.