BELMONT, N.C. -- Belmont Abbey used timely hitting and capitalized on seven USC-Aiken errors to sweep a non-conference doubleheader from the Pacers Saturday afternoon at Crusader Field. The Crusaders won the opener 10-4, before taking the nightcap 9-4.
With the sweep, The Abbey improves to 5-7, while the Pacers fall to 8-8.
THE OPENER
- Three Crusaders registered two hits in the contest -- Hannah Jane Gard, Lily Garnett-Brown and Ava Elkins.
- Megan Towery, the team's leading hitter, extended her hitting streak to 11 games with a bases-loaded double in her final plate apperance.
- Erin Gill earned the win to improve to 1-1. She scattered seven hits over 5.1 innings before giving way to Lilly Hartsell, who fanned two over 1.2 innings for her first save.
- Belmont Abbey fell behind 2-0 in the third, but plated five runs -- only one earned -- in the fifth. After USC-A closed to within 5-4 in the top of the sixth, the Crusaders sealed win with another five runs in their half of the frame.
THE NIGHTCAP
- Belmont Abbey fell behind against after a first-inning Pacer run, but scored seven unanswered to seize control.
- Gard and Casey Laing had two hits each with one of Laing's leaving the park in the first for three runs.
- Jordan Stefani had a three-run double in the third to make the score 7-1, while Towery singled in a run in the fourth for a 12-game hitting streak.
- Sienna Garcia threw a complete game, striking out six to improve to 3-3.
UP NEXT
- Belmont Abbey hits the road on Wednesday at Catawba before returning home next weekend.
