BELMONT, N.C. – The Belmont Abbey baseball team finished off a three-game series against Mount Olive with a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon at Abbey Yard.
The Crusaders took the opener 6-5 with a second-straight walk-off win before falling in the nightcap 19-6 to the Trojans.
Belmont Abbey finishes the series with an 18-9 overall record and is 6-9 in Conference Carolinas. Mount Olive is now 17-7 overall and 7-5 in the league.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME 1
- Alex Sniffen got off to a strong start by recording four strikeouts over the first two innings. He finished his start by pitching 5.2 innings and striking out eight.
- Patrick Taylor and Joe Whitaker both hit singles to lead off the game for The Abbey. Taylor scored on a double play groundout later in the inning.
- The Crusaders scored three runs in the second highlighted by a two-run single by Taylor.
- The Trojans got within two runs in the fifth and had the tying run on third in the sixth before Myles Hedgecock kept the Trojans off the board by forcing a groundout to end the inning.
- Mount Olive rallied to take a 5-4 lead entering the bottom of the seventh.
- The Crusaders' rally started with Ben Ferguson and Connor Tucker both drawing walks.
- Scotty Reeves came in to run for Ferguson and scored on a Trojans fielding error.
- That set the stage for Joey Humphrey to win with a walk-off by reaching on a fielder's choice with Tucker scoring the winning run.
- Justin Herrera made his first start with Belmont Abbey as the designated hitter.
GAME 2
- The Trojans took the lead with four runs in the first two innings and broke it open with a five-run fifth inning and a six-run eighth inning.
- Joey Humphrey drove in the first run of the nightcap with an RBI single.
- Ferguson added a second run driven in with an RBI single in the fifth.
- Aengus Adams earned his first career run batted in after drawing a walk with the bases loaded in the eighth inning.
- Belmont Abbey scored four runs in the frame thanks to Adams, an RBI single from Taylor and two runs scoring on a Mount Olive error.
- Whitaker led The Abbey with a pair of hits, including a triple.
UP NEXT
- Belmont Abbey continues the homestand with a contest against Limestone at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Abbey Yard.
- The Crusaders defeated the Saints 7-4 back on February 7 in Gaffney, South Carolina.
- The Abbey resumes Conference Carolinas play with a three-game home series against Francis Marion at 5 p.m. Friday.