NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Belmont Abbey baseball team opened play at the NCAA Southeast Regional Friday with its game against No. 6 seed Columbus State at the Smith Road Complex at Newberry College and followed that up with a game against host and No. 2 seed Newberry.
 
The bats came to life for the Crusaders, who jumped out to a big early lead before holding on for a 15-13 victory over the Cougars. Belmont Abbey finished the day with a season-best 19 hits. The offense continued to come to life with an 11-6 win over host Newberry Friday night to cap off a 2-0 day for the Crusaders.
 
Garrett Browder led the way for the Crusaders against the Cougars going 4 for 4 with a season-high six runs batted in. He added another RBI in the win over the Wolves.
 
Caleb Burr and Todd Velotta drove in three runs each against Newberry and Belmont Abbey found a way to reach base plenty of times after being hit by a pitch seven times against the Wolves.
 
Belmont Abbey improves to 39-16 overall while Columbus State drops to 36-16 on the season. Following the win against Newberry, Belmont Abbey won its 40th game of the season, which is the second time the team has done so under head coach Chris Anderson. The team won 40 games during the 2018 season and won 41 and 40 games in the 2008 and 2009 seasons, respectively.

 
GAME 1

• Browder got the Crusaders on the board with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning.
• The Crusaders broke out with an eight-run second inning, highlighted by RBI doubles from Patrick Taylor and Browder.
• Browder's hot start at the plate continued with a two-run triple that plated Taylor and Ben Ferguson.
• Columbus State got within 12-9 before Browder added an RBI single to extend the Abbey lead in the seventh.
• Connor Powell drove in a pair of insurance runs with a two-run double in the eighth inning.
• Columbus State attempted a late rally in the ninth before Ethan Wilson recorded the final three outs to earn the save.
• Drew Stegura earned the win to move to 5-0 on the season.
• Taylor, Carter DuHaime and Todd Velotta had three hits each for the Crusaders while Powell had two hits.  

GAME 2

• Jack Boyles made his first start since March 7 against Lander.
• Newberry jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after the first inning and a half.
• The Crusaders jumped out ahead with a five-spot in the bottom of the second thanks to back-to-back home runs from Velotta and Boyles.
• An RBI single from Ben Ferguson put the Crusaders up 5-4.
• Newberry tied the game in the fifth before Powell drew a bases-loaded walk to give The Abbey a 6-5 lead.
• Grant Lohmeier overcame the early deficit to earn the win and finished with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings on 106 pitches.
• The Crusaders got a strong surge in the sixth thanks to an RBI double by Browder and a three-run home run by Caleb Burr.
• The Crusaders got a run in the eighth when Scotty Reeves scored on a throwing error after stealing third.
• Ethan Wilson pitched the final 2.1 innings of relief and helped the Crusaders escape a bases-loaded jam in the seventh.
• Patrick Taylor was hit by a pitch in the second inning to give him 41 on the season.
• That ties a Division II record for most hit by a pitch in a single season done twice before: First by Lincoln Memorial's Chris Kline in 1997 and Tyler Crabtree of Central Oklahoma in 2013.

 
UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey will play the winner of the elimination game between Newberry and UNC Pembroke at 6 p.m. Saturday.
• One more win for the Crusaders advances the team to the Super Regional while a loss forces an if necessary game on Sunday.