BELMONT, N.C. – The Barton baseball team (13-11, 8-5) fell in the first game of a Conference Carolinas weekend series to Belmont Abbey (17-8, 8-4), 5-2, Friday evening at Abbey Yard.
The Crusaders' Kale Rhame (Chapin, S.C.) and Sean Johnson (Kansas City, Mo.) both hit home runs while Connor Tucker (Stanfield, N.C.) broke a two-all tie with game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth as Belmont Abbey rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take the opener.
Barton senior first baseman
Colby Warren (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) hit a two-run home run in the second inning but the Bulldogs were kept off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Rhame added an RBI ground-rule double while Belmont Abbey's Jason White (Concord, N.C.) (5-3) earned the victory after falling one out short of a complete game. White struck out nine batters and Avery Short (Hurley, N.Y.) retired the final batter for his fourth save of the year for the Crusaders. Barton senior
Alex Hart (Raleigh, N.C.) (4-2) went the distance despite the loss.
Barton and Belmont Abbey wrap up the league weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m.
