ANDERSON, S.C. - Anderson rallied for two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but fell, 10-9, to Belmont Abbey in nonconference baseball action Thursday afternoon at Anderson Memorial Stadium.
Anderson slipped to 5-16 on the season with its fourth consecutive setback, while Belmont Abbey (12-4-1) snapped a three-game skid of its own with the victory.
Junior centerfielder Josh Hickman was 3-for-4 on the afternoon and reached base all four times, while scoring three times. Shortstop Brett Cash posted two hits in three trips to the plate and added a walk, while crossing the plate twice. Senior Erick Sanderson had a pair of singles and recorded four RBI, with junior Shawn Delmontagne recording a one-out double in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter. Steven Cooper ripped his second home run of the season over the right-field wall in the first inning.
Ian Vasquez posted three hits and scored four times for the Crusaders, with Emilio Pagan adding a pair of hits and driving in three runs. Anthony Dimino recorded two hits and a pair of RBI.
Pagan (1-0) earned the win with 3 2/3 innings of relief, while surrendering a pair of runs on four hits. The right-hander struck out four and walked two.
Junior Kyle Francis (1-3) took the loss for AU, giving up three earned runs on two hits in one-third of an inning.
Trialing, 4-2, in the third inning, Anderson briefly evened the score with two runs in the bottom of the frame, but Belmont Abbey quickly reclaimed a two-run advantage by scoring twice in the top of the fourth inning.
The Trojans scored twice in the fifth to tie the score at 6-6 and took a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the sixth on Hickman's RBI-single through the right side.
But the Crusaders erupted for four runs in the top of the eighth
and held off the Trojans, who scored twice in the bottom of the
inning, but were unable to push across the tying run.
Belmont Abbey held a 13-11 edge in hits and the two teams combined
for seven errors on the afternoon.
Anderson will get back on the diamond for a three-game South
Atlantic Conference series at Lenoir-Rhyne beginning on Friday.
First-pitch versus the Bears is scheduled for 6 p.m.
