FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA. - The Belmont Abbey baseball team swept Saturday's doubleheader at Emmanuel to capture their first conference series of the year. The Abbey won game one by the score of 12-4 and game two 16-2. The Crusaders improve to 7-5 on the year and 2-1 in conference play. The Lions move to 5-6 on the season and 1-2 in conference play.
In game one, Abbey starter Cameron Busby went the distance going 7.0 scattering nine hits and three earned runs and a walk while striking out five. The Crusader offense motored the entire game as they plated runs in six of the seven innings.
Belmont Abbey jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first when Josh Genthe singled and Nick Beinlich and Keven Elefante walked to load the bases. Robert Lathrop reached on an error that allowed the runs to score. Emmanuel responded in the bottom half of the frame scoring a run after back-to-back singles.
The Crusader plated a run in the second as Colin Rosenbaum singled in Matt McGarry. Not to be out done, the Lions also plated a run in the second after a leadoff triple later scored on an error. The Crusaders held on to a 3-2 lead after two innings.
The Abbey broke open the game in the third scoring four runs. After Elefante lead off the inning with a single and Lathrop walked, Kennan Stanley was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Luke Cuerton laced a double down the left field line to clear the bases. McGarry later singled in Cuerton to push the lead to 7-2. They added a run in the fourth and fifth first on Stanley's RBI single and McGarry scored in the fifth.
The Lions managed two runs in the fifth coming off a two RBI single but the Crusaders answered immediately in the sixth with three more. In the sixth Elefante scored, McGarry drove in a run and Genthe plated a run, lifting the Crusaders to the 12-4 final.
In game two, the Crusaders kept the offensive performance rolling in 16 runs on 15 hits. Beinlich launched a three run home run in the first inning, his sixth of the season. In the third, Elefante blasted a two run home run, hi4s first round tripper of the season. In the fourth, McGarry scored on a balk and Adam Arcadia, who singled, scored on Rosenbaum's RBI double to center. Krause drove in Rosenbaum with a groundout and the Crusaders lead 8-0 through four.
The Crusaders offense continued to produce as Stanley drove in Lathrop with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. In the sixth, The Abbey strung together six singles to score three runs. The Crusaders pushed another run across in the seventh on a dropped third strike. Belmont Abbey scored their final three runs in the eighth inning coming off a bases loaded walk, a fielder's choice, and a hit-by-pitch.
Emmanuel was able to get on the board in the eighth with an RBI ground out and RBI single.
Jeff Thompson recorded the win for the Abbey stretching 6.0 innings allowing just three hits and two walks while fanning eight Lions. Wrapping up the game on the mound, each hurling an inning and recording a strikeout was Robert Frantzis, Wes Wood, and Grayson Miller.
On the day, Rosenbaum had four hits and two RBIs. McGarry and Beinlich each had two hits and three RBIs. Stanley had two hits and four RBIs. Cuerton and Elefante both had three hits and two runs batted in and Lathrop recorded three hits and drove in three runs.
The Crusaders will travel to Wingate Tuesday, to take on the Bulldogs. First pitch will be at 4:00 p.m.