The second-seeded Belmont Abbey baseball team lost its first game in the Conference Carolinas Tournament to the fifth-seeded North Greenville Crusaders by an 8-3 score this afternoon at Fleming Stadium in Wilson, North Carolina. North Greenville improves to 27-23, while the Crusaders drop to 30-20. The Abbey will face the loser of tonight's Erskine/Mount Olive game tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. in an elimination game.

North Greenville rapped out 14 hits, three coming in the first as it scored all of the runs it needed on a three run homer by Derek Fulmer. North Greenville recorded two more hits in the second but did not score, and the Abbey cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the second.

Caleb Shore laced a one out single to right, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single up the middle by Stephen Mullis.

Three innings later the Crusaders chopped their deficit to 3-2 as Ian Vazquez reached on a fielder's choice, moved to second on a single by Kyle Buchanan and scored on a single by Justin Vasquez.

North Greenville grabbed the momentum right back in the top of the sixth, as it scored four times on a pair of two RBI singles, the first by Markus Duckworth and the other by Allen Staton. Staton's single expanded the North Greenville lead to 7-2.

The Abbey pulled one back in the bottom of the frame on John Cucchiarella's single to right center scored Emilio Pagan, who led off with a walk.

North Greenville closed the scoring in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Taylor Hollifield.

North Greenville starter Drew Provence (6-3) picked up the win going 5 1/3 innings. The righty allowed three runs on six hits and one walk while fanning six batters. Relievers Ryan Woodring and Allen Staton combined to keep Belmont Abbey off the board for the final 3 2/3 innings.

Belmont Abbey starter Nate Cudney (5-3) was charged with the loss even though only three of his seven runs allowed were earned.

Mullis and Buchanan led the Abbey with two hits apiece as the Crusaders totaled nine.