No. 1 seed Belmont Abbey College forced an extra game on championship Sunday of the 2009 Conference Carolinas Baseball Tournament, staving off elimination with a 10-5 victory over No. 4 seed and unbeaten Erskine College.

The two teams met again at 4:30 p.m. to decide the league title and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Regional Baseball Tournament.

Belmont Abbey (30-21), which won two elimination bracket games on Saturday by a combined score of 28-9, continued its torrid pace early in Sunday's first contest, scoring three runs before Erskine recorded an out. The Crusaders collected three hits in each of the first two innings, and led 5-0 after two frames.

Erskine (35-12) rallied back behind the long ball, blasting four home runs. Greg Huff provided a two-run shot in the third inning, Chas Anthony hit a solo shot in fourth, and Jon Bolding and Mo Seay went back-to-back with solo homers in the eighth to get the Flying Fleet to within two runs at 7-5.

However, Spencer Sobol put a dagger in any hopes of an Erskine comeback in the bottom of the eighth, ripping a double into the gap in left-centerfield to drive in three runs and increase the Abbey's lead to 10-5. Erskine pitchers had loaded the bases with runners by hitting three batsmen in the inning.

Sobol went 3-for-3 with four RBI to pace the Crusaders. Justin Vasquez also had three hits, while Daniel Kassouf contributed two hits and Danny Brion chipped in two RBI. In addition to the four home runs, Erskine received a 3-for-4 effort from Keith Hill.

Michael Maples (4-3) earned the pitching win for Belmont Abbey, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs over five innings. Tyler Powell pitched the final three innings for the Crusaders to earn his first save of the year. Corey Hopper took the loss, his first in three decisions this season.