The third-seeded Belmont Abbey baseball team erased a 10-6 deficit by scoring the final eight runs of the game, plating five in the eighth and three more in the ninth, to stave off elimination with a 14-10 win over the sixth-seeded Anderson University Trojans this afternoon in the Conference Carolinas Tournament at Fleming Stadium in Wilson, North Carolina. Belmont Abbey moves to 18-22, while Anderson drops to 18-33. Belmont Abbey has now won nine straight against the Trojans and ten of the last 11 dating back to the 2008 season. The Abbey advances to face the top-seeded Mount Olive Trojans Saturday afternoon at 3:00 in an elimination game.

Both teams combined for 24 runs on 25 hits as the Crusaders banged out 16 with Tim Dye leading the way with three in four at bats. Justin Baxley, Roland Rodriguez, Spencer Sobol and Vinnie Santoemma all had two hits. Both of Baxley's hits were a double and a homer as he drove in four runs and scored twice. Matt Mazzolla drove in three runs, all on a three run homer in the game-changing eighth inning.

The Crusaders scored the first four runs of the game by plating two in the second and two more in the third. In the second, Santoemma singled home Dye, while Roberto Sanchez ripped a run scoring double that brought home Danny Brion. One inning later, Dye made it 3-0 with a single that scored Rodriguez, who opened the inning with a double. Three batters later, Zach Berger singled home Spencer Sobol, who reached on a bunt single, to open the lead to 4-0.

In the bottom of the inning, Anderson struck for six runs on four hits to claim a 6-4 lead. Two innings later, the advantage grew by two, taking advantage of the only Abbey error of the game to score twice.

In the top of the sixth the Crusaders whittled the lead down to two on Baxley's homer. The round-tripper also scored Santoemma, who ripped a one out single to left.

Anderson responded with one run in the bottom of the inning and added one more in the seventh to pad its cushion to 10-6, but the Trojans did not score again.

In the eighth, the Crusaders exploded for five runs to claim a lead they would never relinquish. Three of those five runs came on Mazzolla's homer. Daniel Torrente added a sacrifice fly, and Baxley added an RBI double.

The Trojans went quietly in the eighth, and the Abbey added three insurance runs in the ninth to push its lead to 14-10. Baxley drove home the first run with a sacrifice fly, Santoemma scored on a wild pitch and Dye closed the scoring with an opposite field double to right.

Anderson could only muster one hit and left two stranded in the bottom of the ninth as the Abbey remained alive.

Joey Kopp, the third of four Abbey pitchers, earned the win in three innings of relief, allowing just two runs on three hits, striking out five. B.J. Scarborough took the loss. He allowed three runs, all on Mazzola's home run, on two hits in a third of an ininng.