BELMONT, N.C. — The Belmont Abbey baseball team got the offense going with a nine-run sixth inning and cranked out 13 hits as the Crusaders earned a 13-6 win over Emory & Henry Tuesday evening at Abbey Yard.
The Crusaders hit three home runs from
Connor Tucker,
Todd Velotta and
Carter DuHaime and used the offensive surge to capture their fourth straight win and seven of their last eight overall.
Belmont Abbey used seven pitchers as part of a bullpen day with
Ethan Yarbrough picking up his first career win.
The Crusaders improved to 28-12 with the win while Emory & Henry drops to 12-27 overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams exchanged runs in the first three innings.
- Tucker got the scoring start for the Abbey with a home run in the first.
- Belmont Abbey's second run came when Joe Whitaker scored on a fielding error from the Wasps.
- Velotta's home run in the third inning went off the left field foul pole to tie the game at 3-3.
- The Crusaders made a key defensive play in the fourth when they got a Wasps runner trying to score from first base to keep the game tied at 3-3.
- After Yarbrough entered the game in the sixth, he kept E&H off the board.
- Following that inning, Belmont Abbey broke the game with nine runs on six hits.
- Connor Powell hit a two-run double to break the tie and later scored on an RBI single from Velotta.
- DuHaime broke the game open with a grand slam to right-center field and Michael Fattore drove in two more runs on a single.
- All nine runs in the frame came with two outs.
- The Crusaders added another run after Caleb Burr doubled and later scored on a Wasps error.
- Joseph Hackmann and Blake Hanly pitched the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, to close the game out.
- The Crusaders stole seven bases on the night and were hit by a pitch for the 100th time this season.
UP NEXT
- The Crusaders head on the road to Young Harris for a pivotal Conference Carolinas series this weekend.
- The series opener is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start Friday.
