Lions felled by Belmont Abbey in non-conference action
The Mars Hill baseball team (5-21) was defeated by Belmont Abbey (16-8) by a score of 13-5 Tuesday afternoon.
MARS HILL, N.C. - The Mars Hill baseball team (5-21) was defeated by Belmont Abbey (16-8) by a score of 13-5 Tuesday afternoon.
The Crusaders used a six-run eighth inning to pull away from Mars Hill late and secure the win. Leading 3-2 entering the penultimate inning, Joey Humphrey's RBI single was the catalyst for the six-run outburst. Todd Velotta followed up later in the inning with a two-run double. Following a Mars Hill error that allowed two more runs to score, Ben Ferguson plated the sixth run of the frame with a single to center.
Belmont Abbey tacked on four more runs in the top of the ninth, highlighted by Ferguson's two-run single, extending the lead to 13-2.
The Lions chipped away at the deficit with back-to-back RBI singles from Terick Bumgarner and Luke Hayes.
Patrick Taylor opened the scoring with a leadoff home run off the first pitch of the contest. The next batter, Carter DuHaime, also went yard with a solo shot over the right field fence.
After allowing one more run in the top of the third, Mars Hill broke the shutout bid with a RBI single off the bat of Dawson Connell in the bottom of the fourth, scoring Zach Weaver.
Weaver, with the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the sixth, blasted a solo home run over the left field fence to cut the deficit to one, 3-2.
Four Crusaders posted two hits on the day while Ferguson led all players with three RBI. Hayes and Weaver led the Lions with two hits.
Grant Lohmeier picked up the win for Belmont Abbey, throwing 3.2, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three.
Mars Hill returns to the diamond on Friday, March 17 when they host Tusculum in South Atlantic Conference play. First pitch at Henderson Field is set for 3 p.m.
