The Belmont Abbey baseball team split a doubleheader at Erskine this afternoon, winning the seven inning opener 10-0 and losing the rubber game of the series 7-6. Belmont Abbey is now 17-7-1 overall and 4-6 in Conference Carolinas, while the Flying Fleet is now 18-9 overall and 6-5 in league play.

In the opener, Nate Cudney baffled the Erskine offense as he allowed just two hits, striking out six in a complete-game effort. The offense gave him the only run he would need in the top of the first as Antony Dimino doubled and scored on a double by Michael Falsetti.

Two innings later, the lead grew by two as Kyle Buchanan delivered a two RBI single, scoring Falsetti and Kennan Stanley to move the lead to 3-0.

That ignited an Abbey offensive explosion as the Crusaders tacked on one more in the fourth, two more in the fifth, three in the sixth and one more in the seventh.

In the fourth, Dimino singled home Connor Kwalwasser. One inning later, Ian Vazquez chased home Buchanan and Weston Clarke, and in the sixth, it was a two RBI double by Emilio Pagan and an RBI single by Buchanan that widened the gap to 9-0.

Vazquez closed the scoring in the seventh as his single plated Kwalwasser.

Cudney, meanwhile just cruised, as the only two hits he allowed were singles, the last of which coming in the third inning. He retired the last ten batters he faced to end the game as he earned the win.

The Crusaders rapped out 16 hits as six of the nine starters had at least two. Falsetti collected three hits, while Buchanan and Vazquez drove in three.

In the rubber game, which was nine innings, Erskine scored four unanswered runs, including three in the bottom of the ninth to gain the series win.

After Erskine scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first, the Abbey scored three in the fourth, using an RBI groundout by Dimino and RBI singles by Falsetti and Buchanan to move ahead 3-1.

Erskine tacked on another in the bottom of the frame to cut the lead to one, but the Crusaders matched it in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Vazquez.

The Fleet again had an answer, as Chase Corn's single trimmed the Abbey lead to 4-3, but the Crusaders matched it in the sixth on a double by Buchanan to move the lead back to two.

The Crusaders made it 6-3 in the eighth on an RBI single by Clarke, but that would be the last Abbey run of the game as Erskine scored the final four runs of the game, starting with one in the eighth, and three more in the ninth, as Corn scored the winning run on a wild pitch to end the game.

Matt Davenport took the loss after giving up the winning run on one hit in a third of an inning. He also walked one.

The Crusaders finished with eight hits as Vazquez and Buchanan both finished with two. Buchanan also drove in two runs.

Game 1 Box

Game 2 Box