FERRUM, Va. — Drew Stegura struck out a season-high 10 batters and got help offensively as the No. 18 Belmont Abbey baseball team defeated Ferrum 12-1 in the opener of a Conference Carolinas series Friday afternoon at Panther Field.
Stegura reached double digits in strikeouts for the second time in his career, allowing just one unearned runs on four hits over six innings of work to pick up his fourth win of the season.
Matthew Fattore and
Jake Bidoglio led the Abbey offensive with four and three hits, respectively, as the Crusaders scored six runs in the seventh inning to help pull away.
With Friday's result, Belmont Abbey is now 10-4 overall and 9-1 in Conference Carolinas play. Ferrum is 3-7 overall, 1-6 in the league.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After both teams went down in order in the first inning, the Crusaders got on the board in the second inning when Bidoglio drove in Joe Whitaker with an infield single.
- Whitaker scored after reaching on a fielder's choice and advancing to third based on a failed pickoff attempt.
- Stegura struck out the side in the bottom of the third and the offense capitalized on a Panthers error in the fourth.
- Caleb Burr drove in a run via a sacrifice fly after Michael Fattore also got to third on another failed pickoff attempt.
- Ferrum answered with a run in the fourth and the Crusaders added two more in the fifth with an RBI double from Matthew Fattore and two runs scoring on another Panthers error.
- The Crusaders extended the lead with a sacrifice fly from Jack Boyles in the sixth.
- Stegura closed his outing striking out five of the final eight batters he faced.
- Belmont Abbey broke the game open in the seventh starting with a two-run double from Burr. He led the team with three runs batted in for the day.
- Joe Whitaker and Bidoglio hit back-to-back home runs in the inning while Matthew Fattore added an RBI single to cap the scoring.
- Bailey Faircloth, Brady Lencz and Wyatt Clarke each pitched a scoreless inning over the final three frames to finish the game off.
UP NEXT
- The series concludes with a doubleheader Saturday.
- First pitch of the opener is scheduled for 12 noon from Panther Field.