WILSON, N.C. — The Belmont Abbey baseball team rebounded in an impressive way to take its fourth straight Conference Carolinas series with a doubleheader sweep of Barton Saturday at Nixon Field.
The Crusaders took the first game of the day with a 14-0 victory while closing out the series with a 10-5 win over the Bulldogs in the series finale.
Spencer Cipro needed just 67 pitches to get a complete-game shutout in the opener while
Ethan Wilson pitched in relief to get his fourth win of the year.
Thomas Paxton got the final nine outs in the rubber game to earn the save.
Caleb Burr led the Abbey offense with a five-hit day, including two home runs in the opener.
With Saturday's results, Belmont Abbey is now 14-8 overall and 8-4 in the league. Barton is 14-9 with a similar 8-4 conference record.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME 1
- Cipro needed just four pitches to get out of the first inning.
- After a scoreless first inning, Burr got the scoring started with a leadoff home run in the second inning.
- The Crusaders added four runs in the third, highlighted by a two-run single from Jackson Risk and sacrifice flies from Burr and Todd Velotta.
- Belmont Abbey added two more runs in the fifth with Burr's second home run and later an RBI double from Jack Boyles.
- Burr added to his offensive day with an RBI double in the sixth and Carter DuHaime drove in Burr with a single later in the inning.
- The Crusaders added five more in the seventh: a two-run single from Connor Tucker, another RBI from Burr and bases loaded walks drawn by Boyles and Connor Powell.
- Cipro struck out two and allowed just four hits in the win.
GAME 2
- After a scoreless first inning, the Crusaders had four straight singles to begin the second and scored three runs as part of the quick start.
- Carter DuHaime extended the Abbey lead with a two-run double in the fifth while Matthew Fattore was credited with an RBI after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
- Barton rallied with four runs in the fifth and another in the sixth but the Crusaders added some insurance with two runs in the seventh thanks to Boyles scoring off a Barton error and an RBI single from Tucker.
- Belmont Abbey added two runs in the eighth with runs driven in by Velott and DuHaime.
- Ethan Wilson pitched 1.1 innings of relief to hold off the Bulldogs rally.
- Paxton allowed just two hits in three innings of relief to get the save.
- The Crusaders had five players with multiple hits in the rubber game: Tucker, Risk and DuHaime each had three while Velotta and Burr had two.
UP NEXT
- Belmont Abbey returns home to face Lander in a mid-week contest at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Abbey Yard.
- The Crusaders will host Francis Marion in a conference series March 14 and 15.