Nate Cudney pitched seven innings of one run baseball, and Anthony Dimino collected four hits to pace the Crusaders in a 5-4 win over the Francis Marion Patriots at Cormell Field in Florence tonight. The win propels the Abbey to 3-0, as they open the home schedule with a 2pm game against Mars Hill on Tuesday.

The Crusaders jumped out to a quick three run lead in the first as Emilio Pagan reached on a fielding error with one out. Dimino stroked a single through the right side to increase his hitting streak to three games. That was followed by Kennan Stanley reaching on catcher's interference to load the bases. Matt Mazzola coaxed a walk out of Don Standifer after falling behind 0 and 2 in the at-bat. The walk scored Pagan, give the Abbey a 1-0 lead. That play led to Quinn Hawksworth smashing a ball to left center scoring Dimino and Stanley, and gave Cudney a bit of breathing room. Dimino plated a single run in the second as Levi Wright scored from third on the soft liner through the left side.

With a four run lead, Cudney used three pitches to keep the Patriots off balance and offensively frustrated. For every rally perpetuated by FMU, the senior from Charlotte, wiggled out of trouble. The fifth inning was such a frame as Cudney surrendered a single to Michael Wilson. Stephen Johnson reached on a fielding error, sending Wilson to second. Steven Tarkenton bunted the two runners into scoring position to give the heart of the Marion lineup two shots at cutting the lead. But Cudney delivered his best stuff to strike out Jacob Golliday and force Will Chandler to bounce back to the box where Cudney fielded and flipped to Pagan, killing the rally.

Cudney eventually yielded a run in the sixth as Michael Wilson singled home Isaac Davenport to end the shutout and cut the lead to three. A final rally in the seventh was thwarted once again as Cudney worked out around a botched double play attempt to force two fly outs to left field.

On the evening, Cudney allowed an earned run while scattering seven hits and punching out four.

The Crusaders managed a much needed insurance in the eighth as Hawksworth collected his second hit of the day on a single to left . Conor Kwalwasser entered as a pinch runner for Hawksworth, and scampered to third on an errant pick-off. Michael Falsetti banged out a RBI double, his fourth extra base hit of the young season, to give the Crusaders an all-important 5-1 lead.

Emilio Pagan was called on to record the final four outs. The senior from Simpsonville, SC closed the door on the would-be rally by throwing a backdoor slider to pinch hitter Jacob Watson on the outside corner to end the threat. Pagan quickly retired Tarkenton and Golliday in the ninth , but a pair of free passes allowed consecutive RBI singles by Davenport, David DeWolfe, and Dalton Gress to trim the lead to 5-4. With runners at the corners, Pagan faced the Patriots best hitter on the day, Michael Wilson. Pagan reached back for his best stuff to strike Wilson out swinging. The three runs were the first earned runs allowed as a Crusaders reliever.

The Crusaders begin their 2013 home schedule with a four game homestand as they do battle with Mars Hill and St. Anselm. The week of baseball action will be preceded by the first broadcast of the 'Scott Brickman Show', airing on WGNC 1450 and www.wgnc.net . Abbey baseball games will air on these same network stations with pregame beginning 15 minutes prior to first pitch.