DUE WEST, S.C. — The Belmont Abbey baseball team used a six-run seventh inning and seven innings from starting pitcher Drew Stegura as the Crusaders defeated Erskine 15-5 in the series opener of a Conference Carolinas series Friday afternoon at Grier Field.

The Crusaders overcame an early deficit with a four-run third inning and later broke the game open with a seventh-inning surge of six runs.

Belmont Abbey cranked out 17 hits, led by three each from Connor Tucker and Caleb Burr while Drew Stegura struck out eight in seven innings of work.

With the win, Belmont Abbey improves to 19-10 overall and 10-6 in Conference Carolinas play. Erskine is 14-14 overall and 4-9 in league play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Erskine got on the board first with a pair of runs in the first inning and another in the second.
• Belmont Abbey took the lead in the third starting with an RBI single from Connor Tucker followed by Matthew Fattore scoring on a wild pitch.
• Tucker later scored thanks to a two-run home run from Caleb Burr, his eighth of the season.
• After the Flying Fleet tied it with a home run in the bottom of the inning, Burr drove in another run with an RBI single and Tucker later scored on a passed ball.
• Erskine's final run of the game came in the fourth inning with an RBI single.
• Jack Boyles scored on a wild pitch in the fifth and Tucker scored on a double steal in the sixth.
• Jake Bidoglio entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and drove in two runs in his two at-bats.
• Tucker got the seventh inning going thanks to a two-run double that was followed by a Jackson Risk RBI single.
• Bidoglio added his second RBI single in the frame and Boyles capped the scoring with a two-run single.
• After Stegura was replaced, Joseph Hackmann and Carson Dahle combined for the final two scoreless innings to cap off the win.
• Six Crusaders had multi-hit games to lead the way.

UP NEXT

• The series concludes with a doubleheader Saturday starting at noon at Grier Field.