MARS HILL, N.C. – The Belmont Abbey baseball team got off to a fast start offensively and closed with two big innings and it all proved to be enough for a 13-5 victory over Mars Hill Tuesday afternoon at Henderson Field.
 
Patrick Taylor and Carter DuHaime led the game off with back-to-back home runs and the Crusaders scored 10 runs over the final two innings to seal the game and the season series from the Lions.
 
Belmont Abbey is now 16-8 overall on the season while Mars Hill is now 5-21 after Tuesday's contest.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Taylor matched Ben Ferguson with his team-leading fifth home run of the season to lead off the game. DuHaime followed that with a home run of his own in the next at-bat.
• The Crusaders took a 3-0 lead when Ferguson scored on a fielding error with Joe Whitaker at the plate. Ferguson led the inning off with a walk.
• Mars Hill inched closer with runs in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively.
• Belmont Abbey scored six runs in the eighth inning, all of them coming with two outs. The Crusaders sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning.
• Joey Humphrey accounted for the first run with an RBI single to score Connor Tucker, who led off with a walk.
• Todd Velotta followed that with an RBI double.
• Both Velotta and Taylor scored two batters later on a Mars Hill fielding error with DuHaime batting. Taylor was hit by a pitch to reach base.
• DuHaime capped off the inning by scoring on an RBI single from Ferguson.
• The Crusaders scored four more times in the ninth with a solo home run by Humphrey, an RBI double by Connor Powell and a two-run single from Ferguson.
• Four different Crusaders had two hits in the game: Taylor, Ferguson, Humphrey and Velotta.

 
UP NEXT

• The Abbey opens up a pivotal three-game Conference Carolinas series against Mount Olive starting at 5 p.m. Friday at Abbey Yard.
• The series concludes with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday.