GASTONIA, N.C. — The Belmont Abbey baseball team got off to a good start in the elimination bracket as the No. 3 seed Crusaders defeated top-seeded Francis Marion 15-4 Saturday at Sims Legion Park.
Belmont Abbey led 7-0 before a weather delay that saw Francis Marion rally following the delay. The Crusaders put the game out of reach with an eight-run ninth inning.
The Crusaders moved to 36-15 on the season and advanced to another elimination game scheduled for Saturday night against Barton back at CaroMont Health Park. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
Francis Marion is 40-13 and awaits its postseason fate after being eliminated.
The Crusaders got a quality starter from
Seth Edgerton with six shutout innings and
Carter DuHaime finished with three hits.
Check with abbeyathletics.com online and on social media for updates.
HOW IT HAPPENED
THE OPENER
- Belmont Abbey got the scoring started with a solo home run from Jackson Risk in the top of the first inning.
- The Crusaders added two more in the second thanks to a two-run single from Justin Herrera.
- Edgerton did not allow a hit in his first two innings of work.
- Matthew Fattore added an RBI after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third followed by a two-run double from Caleb Burr in the fourth.
- The Abbey added a seventh run thanks to an RBI groundout from Fattore to drive in Burr, who reached on an error.
- After a lightning delay of over an hour, Francis Marion began a rally scoring two runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
- Thomas Paxton held the lead and got the Abbey out of the eighth inning as FMU had the bases loaded.
- The Crusaders broke the game open in the ninth with an eight-run frame starting with an RBI single from DuHaime.
- Belmont Abbey also took advantage of two errors on the same play, scoring two runs on the play.
- Jack Boyles added an RBI triple and later scored on a wild pitch.
- The Crusaders capped the scoring with home runs from Jake Bidoglio and Todd Velotta.
- Jacob Larkins closed the game out with a scoreless ninth inning.