Box Score by Cory Guinn
WILSON, N.C. – Barton College and Belmont Abbey College combined for five home runs on Sunday afternoon as the Bulldogs scored on an error with two-out in the bottom of the ninth for a 7-6 victory over the Crusaders at Fleming Stadium.
Barton moved its record to 13-14 overall and 7-7 in Conference Carolinas action with the series victory as Belmont Abbey fell to 15-13 overall and 11-7 in the league.
The first two innings of play proved to an early pitcher's duel between Barton starter Kyle Rufer and Belmont Abbey's Ross Garrett as both team's went hitless until the third inning.
In the third, Belmont Abbey put a runner in scoring position with two out before designated hitter Kayden Krause put his team ahead 1-0 with an RBI double down the right field line.
Barton would respond with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning as sophomore Calvin Hawke hit a one-out single to the shortstop, later stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch.
After a walk to sophomore Tyler Garrett, Hawke scored from third on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1 and advance Garrett to third base. Just three pitches later, senior Spiers Miller gave Barton a 3-1 lead with a two-run home run to left center, his team-leading fifth home run of the season.
The two sides were again scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings of play before a solo home run from Belmont Abbey's Levi Wright tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the sixth.
The bottom of the seventh inning began with back-to-back bunt singles for Hawke and Garrett before the Crusaders were able to record an out. Senior Avery Harper then stepped to the plate and crushed a three-run home run down the left field line to give Barton a 6-3 lead with just two innings to play.
However, a solo home run by Belmont Abbey's Nick Nunziato in the eighth and a two-run home run from Lorenzo Wright in the top of the ninth left the two teams knotted in a 6-6 tie heading to the final half inning of play.
The first two batters of the ninth for Barton went down on a strikeout and a groundout to short before sophomore Andrew Webster singled up the middle in hopes of starting a two-out rally.
Junior Nick McKinney reached first on a four-pitch walk as freshman Hunter Pearre was inserted into the lineup as a pinch runner for Webster as second base. In the first pitch of the following at-bat, sophomore Jacob Willis reached first on a throwing error by the Belmont Abbey third baseman, allowing Pearre to score from second and secure the 7-6 victory for the Bulldogs.
Hawke finished the game 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored, while senior Mitchell Wheeler was also 2-for-4 in the game. Webster turned in a 2-for-5 performance with a double of his own.
Miller was 1-for-3 on the day with a home run and two RBI, as Harper was 1-for-4 with his fourth long ball of the season and three RBI.
Rufer recorded a solid performance in his sixth start of the season, allowing three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. Redshirt-junior Louis DeCarolis (1-2) earned his first win of the season after allowing three runs on four hits with a strikeout in 3.1 innings of relief.
The Bulldogs will travel to Murfreesboro, N.C. on Tuesday, March 24 for a doubleheader with Chowan University beginning at 1 p.m.
