BELMONT, N.C. — The Belmont Abbey baseball team used a pair of strong starts from Spencer Cipro and Ethan Wilson as the Crusaders completed a doubleheader sweep of King Friday afternoon at Abbey Yard.

The Crusaders took the first game 3-2 before earning a 7-1 victory in the second game. The series shifted due to a doubleheader Friday due to forecasted inclement weather.

Cipro pitched a career-high 7.2 innings and allowed just two runs in the opening game while Wilson pitched five plus innings for his sixth win of the season.

Caleb Burr and Todd Velotta each led the way offensively for the Crusaders with four hits on the day.

Belmont Abbey improves to 33-14 overall and 20-9 in Conference Carolinas play. King is now 14-34 overall, 8-21 in the league.

GAME 1

• After a perfect first inning, the Crusaders got on the board in the bottom of the first inning thanks to an RBI groundout from Connor Tucker.
• King pulled even with a home run in the fourth inning but Belmont Abbey answered with two runs in the fifth inning.
• Velotta gave the Abbey the lead on an RBI single and Josh Wilson later scored on an attempted double steal.
• The Crusaders also got timely defensive plays by turning three inning-ending double plays in the contest.
• Belmont Abbey made another crucial defensive play in the seventh, throwing out a King runner who was trying to turn a double into a triple to end the inning.
• The Tornado got back within a run but Thomas Paxton kept the one-run lead in tact in the eighth after entering the game in relief.
• Cipro allowed just two earned runs and struck out three batters on 100 pitches.
• Paxton struck out the final two batters to earn his seventh save of the year.

GAME 2

• King got on the board with a home run in the first inning but Wilson worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the Tornado in check.
• The Crusaders pulled even in the second inning with an RBI single from Jack Boyles after a double from Matthew Fattore.
• Belmont Abbey scored two more runs in the third on a King throwing error and an RBI single from Caleb Burr.
• The Crusaders took advantage of another King error in the fourth when Joe Whitaker scored on a Connor Powell sacrifice fly.
• Velotta added an RBI single and Boyles later scored on a rundown play to end the inning.  
• Burr capped the scoring with an RBI single to bring in Tucker, who led the inning off with a triple.
• Layton Dickerson entered the game in relief of Wilson in the sixth inning and recorded a strikeout and a double play to end the Tornado threat.
• King had the bases loaded but the Crusaders held off the Tornado one final time to earn the win.

UP NEXT

• The series concludes with the series finale Saturday at Abbey Yard. First pitch is scheduled for 12 noon.
• There will be a pregame Senior Day ceremony where 20 student-athletes will be recognized.