MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – The Belmont Abbey baseball team came away with a series win thanks to a spilt in a Conference Carolinas doubleheader against Mount Olive Saturday at Scarborough Field.
The Crusaders fell 8-7 in a seven-inning contest in Game 1 before bouncing back for a 7-5 victory over the Trojans in the rubber game of the series.
Belmont Abbey finished the weekend with a 22-13 overall record and a 13-7 record in Conference Carolinas play. Mount Olive is now 19-13 overall and 10-8 in the league.
GAME 1
- After falling behind 2-0 in the first two innings, Belmont Abbey rallied to take its first lead of the game with a four-run fourth inning.
- Zach Aehlert and Connor Tucker hit back-to-back singles that was followed by Brennan Martin being hit by a pitch to load the bases.
- Aehlert scored on a passed ball for the Crusaders' first run of the game.
- After Sean Johnson was intentionally walked to load the bases, Adam Overcash hit a bases-clearing double to give The Abbey a 4-2 lead.
- After the Trojans regained the lead in the bottom of the inning, the Crusaders took it back in the fifth with an RBI single from Aehlert and an RBI double from Martin to go ahead 6-5.
- Ben Ferguson also finished with two hits in the opener.
GAME 2
- Brendan Simonds helped the Crusaders get off to a good start by pitching four scoreless innings to start the game.
- Belmont Abbey broke the deadlock in the top of the fourth inning with three runs.
- The inning started off with a leadoff double by Ferguson and he later scored on an RBI single by Zach Aehlert.
- The Crusaders scored two more runs via a wild pitch and a passed ball in the inning.
- The Trojans cut into the lead with a run in the fifth inning but Belmont Abbey got the four-run lead back starting with a leadoff triple by Connor Tucker in the seventh that was followed by an RBI single by Matty Bapst.
- Leading 4-3 in the eight, Bapst came up with another key hit in the next inning with an RBI double to make it 5-3. He later scored on an RBI single by Patrick Taylor.
- Mount Olive got back within one run again but Ben Gobbel added a key insurance run for the Crusaders with an RBI single to make it 7-5.
- Avery Short needed just nine pitches in the ninth inning to earn his second save of the series and his sixth overall.
- Simonds earned the win by pitching 7.2 innings, his longest start of the season. He moves to 5-1 on the season.
UP NEXT
The Crusaders return home for their final home games of the regular season starting with a non-conference contest against Lander at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Abbey Yard.