BANNER ELK, N.C.. -- Belmont Abbey combined for 24 hits and 20 runs Wednesday, sweeping a doubleheader from Northwest Division rival Lees-McRae in the final road games of the 2026 regular season. The Crusaders won the opener 11-2 in six innings before rallying for a 9-5 victory in the nightcap.
With the wins, The Abbey improves to 23-21 overall and 15-11 in league play. The Bobcats fall to 9-28, 3-20. The 23 wins are the most since the 2023 season and sixth-most in program history.
THE OPENER
- Belmont Abbey plated five runs in the first inning, highlighted by two-run home runs by Megan Towery and Lily Garnett-Brown.
- Garnett-Brown finished 3-for-3 in the contest, driving in another run on a double in the sixth.Towery, Ella Crowe and Abby Peisker all finished with two hits and two RBIs.
- Sienna Garcia earned the win to improve to 12-12. She allowed five hits and two runs over 5.2 innings before giving way to Torey Cagno for the final out. Garcia also struck out five.
THE NIGHTCAP
- Alayna Patrick and Crowe led the 10-hit attack with three each. Casey Laing had two hits, while Kennedy Teasley and Nora Cutler had the other two.
- The Abbey jumped out to another lead with three runs in the first, but the Bobcats answered with five unanswered for a 5-3 advantage.
- In the sixth, Cutler delivered an RBI with one out in the sixth. Later in the frame Laing singled in the tying run before an error gave the Crusaders the lead.
- Three unearned runs in the seventh provided insurance for the final margin.
- Lilly Hartsell pitched 1.2 innings of relief to earn the win and improve to 2-4. She allowed just one hit and a walk, but two earned runs.
UP NEXT
- Belmont Abbey closes out the 2026 regular season on Friday.
- The Crusaders host Emmanuel in a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
