The Belmont Abbey baseball team suffered two defeats in a Saturday doubleheader at Mount Olive, falling 14-10 and 21-7 at Scarborough Field where the wind was blowing straight out to center.

In game one, 16 of the 24 runs were scored via the home run as nine round trippers were clubbed in the contest. Caleb Shore gave the Crusaders a 1-0 lead with a one out homer in the top of the first, but Mount Olive scored the next nine runs on homers, getting a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning and six more in the third on three two run bombs.

Kyle Buchanan led off the top of the fifth with a round-tripper to close the gap to 9-2, but the Trojans scored three more in the fifth on a pair of RBI singles and another coming home on a wild pitch.

The Trojans added another in the bottom of the sixth on a solo homer to move the lead to 13-2, but the Crusaders mounted a comeback in the top of the seventh, scoring six runs, two coming on a homer by Emilio Pagan and getting RBI singles from Gabby Amor and Ian Vazquez, as well as a run scoring double by Justin Vasquez. Shore grounded out to bring home the other run. The inning closed the gap to 14-8.

Neither team scored in the eighth and the Abbey scored two in the ninth on a two-run blast by Pagan, which also plated Shore. A strikeout ended the game at the three hour, eight minute mark.

Jake Moser moved to 3-0 in the win as he gave up eight runs on ten hits in seven innings, fanning six. Steven Thiele suffered the loss after allowing 11 runs on seven hits in four and one-thirds innings, striking out five. The Crusaders totaled 13 hits and the Trojans logged 12. 11 of the game's 25 hits went for extra bases. The Crusaders one-through four hitters (Vazquez, Shore, Vasquez and Pagan) all had two hits, as did Joey Frabasile. Pagan drove in four runs.

In the seven inning nightcap, Vasquez struck first with a solo homer in the first, but the Trojans went ahead in the bottom of the second with two runs. The Abbey tied the game in the third on a homer by Amor, but Mount Olive blew the game open with eight runs on six hits in the bottom of the inning, scoring on a grand slam, a two-run homer, an RBI triple and an RBI single.

Matt Mazzolla clubbed an RBI double in the top of the fourth that brought home Pagan to make the score 10-3. The Trojans answered with a five-run fifth and a six-run sixth to open up a 21-3 lead.

In the top of the seventh and final inning, the Abbey scored four times, the first two coming on bases loaded walks. Pagan plated the third run on a sacrifice fly, and Shore scored the final run of the contest on a passed ball.

Talton Cherry picked up his first win of the year as he gave up six runs on seven hits in six and one-thirds ininngs. He struck out ten. Cody Stull was charged with the loss after giving up seven runs on six hits in two and one-thirds innings.

Game One Box
Game Two Box