Barton College and visiting Belmont Abbey College split a Conference Carolinas baseball doubleheader here Saturday, the Bulldogs winning the opener, 12-9, and the Crusaders taking the nightcap, 9-5.

The split leaves Barton with a record of 14-15 overall and 5-9 in the league. Belmont Abbey moves to 13-12 overall and 10-6 in the conference.

Barton took game one after breaking open a close 7-6 game with five runs in the eighth inning. The Bulldogs scored two of those runs when Braxton Lewis hit a fly ball into the left field corner that was lost in the sun. Aaron Watkins followed the double with a towering home run to dead centerfield to give the Bulldogs a 12-6 advantage.

Barton starter Kramer Sneed (4-2) tried to finish off a complete-game effort on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, but Belmont Abbey rallied with two outs, loading the bases and then scoring on a wild pitch that ended Sneed's day one out short. The Crusaders scored two more runs on an error, but Patrick Sherrill finally got the last out to earn his first save of the year.

Sneed gave up 10 hits and four earned runs in his 8 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out nine.

The Bulldogs had taken a 4-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Watkins and a three-run homer by Sam Pepper. Barton added another run in the second on an RBI single by Chris Rawlings.

Sneed cruised through the first 3 2/3 innings, and seemed to be out of the fourth with a shutout still intact after getting a fly ball off the bat of Tim Dye, but the ball was dropped in right. The error opened the door for Belmont Abbey's home run and RBI leader to come to the plate, and Chris Vazquez made the Bulldogs pay with a three-run homer to left that cut the deficit to 5-3.

Belmont Abbey completed the comeback one inning later when Spencer Sobol and Vinnie Santoemma strung together consecutive singles to open the fifth, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Roland Rodriguez that tied the game at 5-all.

Barton quickly regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth, however, as Rawlings singled to open the frame, moved to second on a walk and scored on a Pepper single to left. The two teams then traded runs in the Barton sixth and BAC seventh before Barton produced its five-run inning in the eighth.

Pepper had two hits and four RBI for Barton, while Watkins had two hits and three RBI. Rawlings went 4-for-4 and Wesley Francis added a 3-for-4 effort. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with three RBI for Belmont Abbey. Sobol and Santoemma each added a pair of hits for the Crusaders.

In game two, Barton again jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the first after getting five hits, including a two-out, two-run double by Jordan Smith and a two-out single by Kevin Carty.

The Bulldogs still led by three runs after the two teams traded runs in the second inning, but Belmont Abbey tied the game in the third on a two-out, three-run blast to left field by catcher Daniel Torrente. The Crusaders took the lead for good in the fourth, adding three more runs on an RBI single by Roberto Sanchez and a two-run homer by Tim Dye, his fourth of the year.

Belmont Abbey tacked on single runs in the sixth and seventh innings on RBI doubles by Danny Brion and Torrente, respectively. Barton scored once in the seventh on a double by Ryan Daughtry, but could get no closer.

Nate Cudney picked up the win for the Crusaders, scattering 11 hits and giving up three earned runs over 5 1/3 innings. Jordan Cudney finished up, working out of a jam in the sixth, to earn his first save of 2010. Braxton Lewis (0-1) suffered the loss.

Torrente had three hits to go with his four RBI, while Sobol went 3-for-4 with a double. Daughtry paced Barton with three hits, while Watkins and Francis each added a pair.

The two teams will complete the series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest.