For the first time in the 2013 season, the Belmont Abbey Crusaders trailed a game and did not get a quality start from their starting pitcher. What's more, the Crusaders allowed three unearned runs through defensive miscues. This was the kind of game a scrappy bunch from Mars Hill College would find ideal to ruin the home opener for the Belmont Abbey Crusaders. So it was no surprise that the Crusaders were both excited and relieved to plate two runs in the eighth inning to pull away from the Lions 10-8 at Abbey Yard.

Mars Hill jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first with Thomas Timmerman tripling to dead center over the head of Kennan Stanley. Phillip Carroll then drove a pitch from starter Tim Crawford deep over the 370' sign in right center for a two run shot. The homer marked the first lead an Abbey opponent held in the 2013 season.

In the second, Crawford was able to get out of a bases loaded jam that seemed to be a wakeup call the Crusaders offense needed. After Kyle Buchanan was plunked by reliever Adam Daniel, Buchanan reached second after an errant pick-off throw. Adam Venditti, making his first start in 2013, hit a RBI single, and reached second with heads up base running on the subsequent cut off throw. Gabby Amor scalded a double over the head of third baseman Marc Marsh to send Venditti home without a throw. The hit was the first of three for the infielder on the day, vaulting the Miami native to a .353 average.

After Mars Hill reclaimed the lead in the third, a Kyle Buchanan double in the third scored Kennan Stanley and Quinn Hawksworth to give the Crusaders its first lead of the day. The Crusaders would stretch the lead with single tallies in the fourth and fifth inning to go up by three runs in the sixth.

A pair of defensive miscues for the Crusaders aided a Lions rally that saw them trim the lead to a single run in the top of the sixth. The bottom of the frame began with a sharp single by Amor that was nearly caught by Carroll in right. After Ian Vazquez advanced Amor to second on a sac bunt, Emilio Pagan electrified the Abbey Yard faithful with a moon shot homer that cleared Old Glory in right center field with room to spare. The homer was the first to leave the yard for Abbey batters this year. The other homer, by Vazquez against Claflin, was an inside-the-park homer.

Mars Hill staged a comeback in the seventh with a three run rally that would ultimately chase Ryan Allen from the mound. Kyle Rogers inherited runners on the corners, but walked Matt Mayo to load the bases. When the damage was done, both inherited runners scored with Mayo, to knot things up at eight.

The bats were quiet until the eighth when Stanley hit a gapper over the head of Tommy Scala that advanced Dimino to third. Dimino reached in an earlier at bat on a fielder's choice. Quinn Hawksworth's third hit of the afternoon drove home Anthony Dimino to break an 8-8 tie, followed by a long sac fly from Kyle Buchanan that scored Stanley. The sac fly accounted for Buchanan's fourth RBI on the day. The two run eighth marked the first time the Crusaders won in their final at-bat.

Emilio Pagan closed the door with a perfect ninth to earn his first save. Kyle Rogers was credited with the win, while Andy Runion was tagged with the loss for the Lions.

The Crusaders will host St. Anselm in a three game set with a new first pitch time slated for 11am for Saturday's doubleheader. St. Anselm took two of three against the Crusaders in February 2012. St. Anselm also appeared in the 2012 NCAA D-II regionals. All three games will be aired on the Crusaders flagship WGNC 1450am in Gastonia and www.wgnc.net . Catch every pitch on the home of Crusaders baseball and the Abbey Sports Network.