Lions Erase Early Deficit to Beat Crusaders
MARS HILL, N.C. - The Lions' baseball team erased an early four-run deficit to defeat Belmont Abbey College, 7-5, Wednesday afternoon at Henderson Field. Mars Hill improved to 8-11 overall while the Crusaders fell to 15-6 on the season.
Belmont Abbey jumped out to a 4-0 lead in their first at-bat and it looked like it would be a long game for the Lions. Tim Dye had a two-RBI double in the inning.
Michael Bueker crossed the plate on a ground out by Adam Lewis in the bottom half of the first inning to cut the lead to 4-1. The Crusaders added their fifth and final run in the third inning when Joey Frabasile hit a homerun to right-center field.
In the fourth inning Michael Brittian hit a bases loaded double to center field that drove in three runs. The Lions matched that run production in the sixth frame on three hits and one Crusader error. Adam Lewis hit a two-RBI single in the inning to make the final tally 7-5 in favor of the hosts.
Lewis and Brittian led MHC with three RBI apiece. Lewis was 3-4 at the plate. Bueker went 3-5 with two runs scored. Tyler Stephenson threw the final four innings in relief for Mars Hill to pick up the win (2-2).
Frabasile and Dye led the Crusaders with two RBI and two hits each. Frabasile added a homerun while Dye had a double. Relief pitcher Joey Kopp took the loss (1-3) for Belmont Abbey on the mound.
MHC will host SAC rival Newberry College in a three-game
conference series this weekend. The teams will meet for a single
game at 2 p.m. on Friday and then play a double-header at 12 p.m.
on Saturday. The Lions will provide live in-game statistics of the
contests.
