The Belmont Abbey baseball team lost 5-2 to the visiting Limestone Saints this afternoon at Abbey Yard. The win gives the Saints a three-game series sweep and moves them ahead of the Crusaders in the final conference standings. The Crusaders will be seeded third in next week's Conference Carolinas Tournament. Limestone improves to 27-14 overall and 14-6 in Conference Carolinas, while the Abbey drops to 29-15 overall and 13-6 in Conference Carolinas.

Both teams finished with 11 hits and stranded 11 runners on the basepaths, but Limestone scored the first two runs of the game in the top of the first on a two run single by Jake Rierson. The Crusaders cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth, as Justin Vasquez led off with a single to right, moved to second on a single by Chris Vazquez and scored on a wild pitch to close the Saints lead to 2-1.

Limestone answered in the next inning to stretch its lead back to two runs on a solo homer by Micah Robinson, and the Saints added two more in the sixth to move their advantage to 5-1.

The Abbey closed the scoring in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Joey Frabasile that plated Caleb Shore, who led off the inning with a single.

Neither team threatened to score again as the Saints earned the series sweep.

Limestone starter Jeremy Peed held the Abbey to one run on seven hits in the first six innings, striking out five, to earn the win. Andrew Thompson held the Abbey scorless over the final two innings, scattering two hits and striking out one, to pick up the save. Abbey starter Taylor West was charged with the loss after he gave up five runs on eight hits in five and two-thirds innings.

Roberto Sanchez, Tim Dye and Vazquez, three of six seniors who were honored before the game, each collected two hits. Frabasile had the only RBI. Robinson paced the Saints offense with three hits. David Christy and Rierson both had two hits. Rierson drove in two.

The Abbey will open the Conference tournament Thursday morning at 11:00 a.m. when it takes on fourth-seeded Pfeiffer. It will be the sixth meeting between the two teams this season.