The Belmont Abbey baseball team got a complete game effort from Nate Cudney, and a pair of big offensive days from Ian Vazquez and Michael Falsetti to take down the Limestone Saints in the opening game of a three-game Conference Carolinas series at Abbey Yard on Friday. The win moves the Crusaders record to 19-7-1 overall , and 5-6 within the conference.

Cudney was virtually flawless this afternoon, dealing eight and two-thirds scoreless innings while surrendering just seven hits. The complete game shutout bid was stymied by Marcus Breeden's two run homer in the ninth that cut the lead to 8-2. For the afternoon, the senior from Charlotte, NC struck out seven Saints en route to his sixth win of the year. The home run from Breeden ended a 15 and two-thirds innings scoreless string for Cudney.

Offensively, the Crusaders got going early in the first as Vazquez got the first of his three hits with a liner to right. A stolen base got him in scoring position, where Falsetti drove a single to left field to score Vazquez. Kennan Stanley walked to send Emilio Pagan to the plate, and Pagan hit a sharp grounder off the heel of Mike Kelly's glove. Stanley and Falsetti were in motion with the pay-off pitch, and scored on the play to extend the lead to 3-0.

In the fifth, Vazquez shot a single through the infield for his third safety of the afternoon. After a sacrifice bunt from Ryan Allen, Falsetti ripped a double into the left field corner to plate Vazquez. Stanley then drove a Cameron Ward delivery over the right centerfield fence for his fourth clout of the season, tying the team high of Levi Wright. The Crusaders would tack on single runs in the seventh and eighth, as Allen hit his first homer of 2013 with a laser to left. Pagan and Kyle Buchanan tripled and doubled in succession, scoring Pagan to complete the scoring for the Abbey.

Cudney's record now advances to 6-1 on the season, while Ward was tagged with the loss. The Crusaders will meet the Saints in a doubleheader tomorrow at noon. Cody Stull will climb the hill in game two of the series, as Parks Smithey will round out the weekend. The coverage from Abbey Yard begins at 11:45am on www.wgnc.net, and joins up with WGNC 1450am at high noon. Follow the Crusaders on twitter: @abbeyathletics, and hashtag #raisethered.