Belmont Abbey senior third baseman Chris Vazquez hit a two out bases loaded single to right center field in the bottom of the eleventh inning to score Caleb Shore from third and give the 21st-ranked Crusaders a 6-5 upset win over the nationally number-one ranked Mount Olive Trojans this afternoon in the rubber game of a three game Conference Carolinas series at Abbey Yard. The win propels the Crusader ledger to 29-10 overall and 13-3 in Conference Carolinas, while Mount Olive, which has lost two straight after winning 12 in a row, falls to 28-5 overall and 14-3 in Conference Carolinas.

After Mount Olive deadlocked the game at five in the top of the seventh, neither team scored again until Vazquez's game winning hit in the bottom of the eleventh. The Crusaders had its best chance to end the game in the tenth, as Tim Dye reached on a one out single to center, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. With one out and the winning run just 90 feet away, Mount Olive extended the game one more inning with a strikeout and a groundout.

The Trojans went down in order in the top of the eleventh, setting the stage for the Crusaders to win the game in the bottom of the inning. Shore worked a leadoff walk, and after a fly out, Justin Vasquez doubled to left, moving Shore to third. An intentional walk to Joey Frabasile loaded the bases, and a foul out to first by Kyle Buchanan put the Abbey down to its last out, but Vazquez blooped a single to right center, scoring Shore easily from third for the winning run.

Belmont Abbey opened the contest with a 3-0 lead in the fourth on a bases clearing double by Josh Frazier. The Trojans evened the score in the top of the fifth as they used a two RBI double from Joseph Westbrook and scored the other run on a Crusader defensive miscue.

The Crusaders wasted no time reclaiming their lead, as they plated two in the bottom of the fifth to move ahead 5-3. Vazquez singled home Vasquez, and Dye's groundout to second brought home Frabasile.

Mount Olive pulled even in the seventh on an RBI single by Westbrook, who later came around to score on a double by Antonio Callaway.

Neither team scored again until Vazquez's contributions in the bottom of the eleventh.

Jordan Cudney picked up the win for the second straight day, as he worked two and two-thirds innings in relief of starter Cody Stull. Cudney did not allow a run or a hit as he walked one and struck out one. Stull fanned four in the first eight and one-thirds innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits. Mount Olive reliever David Combs, the third and final pitcher of the day, gave up the winning run on four hits in the final two and two-thirds innings. He struck out five and walked a pair.

Vazquez had four of the Abbey's ten hits, driving in two and scoring once. Vasquez and Frabasile both had two hits. Frazier drove in three runs.

Mount Olive totaled eight hits as Westbrook, Daniel Coffey and Dan Hayduk all had two hits. Westbrook drove in three runs.