GASTONIA, N.C. — The Belmont Abbey baseball team put together another eighth-inning rally as the Crusaders plated five to defeated No. 6 seed Mount Olive 13-11 Thursday evening at CaroMont Health Park.
Trailing by two runs entering the eighth inning,
Joe Whitaker drove in his 81st and 82nd runs batted in on the season to tie the game before
Brady Roberts came through with a pinch-hit two-run single to give the Abbey the lead for good.
The contest featured plenty of offensive firepower in the final 3 innings as the teams combined for 16 runs during that time.
The Crusaders defeated the Trojans for the third straight time in the conference tournament as the Abbey improved to 37-12 on the season. Mount Olive is now 28-20 on the year and will play in the elimination bracket on Friday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Drew Stegura and Mount Olive starting pitcher Aidan Newton both retired the side in order over the first two innings.
- The Trojans struck first with a two-run home run in the top of the third inning.
- Belmont Abbey answered with a two-run double from Mason Janz to pull even at 2-2.
- The Crusaders capitalized on two Trojan errors in the fourth inning as Josh Wilson drove in two runs with a single while Janz reached base on a Mount Olive error to bring in two runs.
- Stegura put together one of his longest outings of the season, going 6.1 innings pitched with five strikeouts on 123 pitches.
- Mount Olive rallied with a three-run home run in the seventh before Davin Miller-Madden struck out the final two batters to keep the Abbey ahead in the seventh.
- A two-run double from Michael Fattore pushed the lead to 8-5 before Mount Olive hit two home runs in the eighth to jump back out to a 10-8 lead.
- That set the stage for Belmont Abbey's comeback as Todd Velotta got the rally started with a pinch-hit double and later scored on Whitaker's double.
- After Caleb Burr was intentionally walked, Roberts delivered his two-run single to give the Crusaders the lead.
- Jacob Steinberg added an RBI on a groundout to make it 13-10.
- Mount Olive rallied and got a run back in the ninth inning but Yarbrough earned his seventh win of the season by striking out the final Trojan batter to win the game.
- Jake Bidoglio led Belmont Abbey with two hits as eight different Crusaders had a hit in the contest.
UP NEXT
- Belmont Abbey advance to play No. 2 seed Francis Marion in the winner's bracket at 7 p.m. Friday at CaroMont Health Park in Gastonia.
- Mount Olive will face Erskine in an elimination game at 1 p.m. Friday at Sims Legion Park.
