FLORENCE, S.C. — The Belmont Abbey baseball team had its best offensive showing of the season Monday as the Crusaders used a middle-inning surge to defeat Francis Marion 19-2 at Sparrow Stadium.
 
After taking a 3-2 lead after three innings, the Crusaders plated 16 runs over the next three innings to take the win and the series. Belmont Abbey scored eight runs in the fifth and five in the sixth, highlighted by a grand slam from Carter DuHaime.
 
The 19 runs is the most by Belmont Abbey since the Crusaders scored 20 in a victory over USC Aiken on April 11 of last season.
 
DuHaime was one of four Crusaders to record two hits on the day. Additionally, Jack Boyles drove in four runs along with DuHaime to lead the Abbey.
 
The Crusaders also capitalized on Francis Marion miscues, drawing 12 walks and being hit by a pitch four times. Alex Sniffen moved to 4-0 on the season after striking-out a season-high eight in five innings of work.
 
It is the third straight series the Crusaders have won as they improve to 9-8 overall and 6-3 in Conference Carolinas play. Francis Marion is 10-7 overall, 3-3 in league play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Boyles reached on a four-pitch walk to start the game and later scored on an RBI groundout from Connor Tucker.
• Francis Marion took an early lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs set up by a pair of Crusader errors.
• Belmont Abbey took the lead for good in the third as the Crusaders plated two runs off a fly ball from Joe Whitaker. The Patriots committed two errors on the play, allowing both Connor Powell and Boyles to score.
• Sniffen struck out the final batter in the third as FMU had two runners on base. He only allowed one baserunner in his final two innings.
• The Crusaders added three more runs in the fourth starting with an RBI single from Powell and an RBI from Boyles and Whitaker on a sacrifice fly.
• Belmont Abbey broke the game open in the fifth, sending 12 batters to the plate as part of an eight-run frame.
• Boyles and Caleb Burr each had bases-clearing RBI doubles in the inning to make it 14-2 after five.
• The Abbey capped the scoring in the sixth with Garrett Browder earning an RBI after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
• DuHaime hit a grand slam on the first pitch of his at-bat to cap the scoring.
• The combined bullpen efforts of Thomas Paxton, Brendan Simonds, Jake Craddock and Danny Glenos helped ice the game for the Crusaders, allowing just one hit over the final four innings.

UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey continues its extended road swing with a three-game conference series at King.
• The series is scheduled to start with a single game at 2:30 p.m. Friday followed by a doubleheader starting at noon Saturday from Bristol, Tennessee.