Patriots see steak end at NCAA Regional, fall to Crusaders 7-2

AIKEN, SC - Senior left-hander Andrew Morton scattered seven hits en route to his second complete game of the season and sixth-seeded Belmont Abbey College defeated seventh-ranked and second-seeded Francis Marion University 7-2, Saturday morning (May 16) in a winners’ bracket game at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Baseball Tournament.

Belmont Abbey (37-24), unbeaten in the double-elimination tournament, advances to Sunday’s championship game at noon, while Francis Marion (38-14-1) will play again on Saturday in an elimination game at 7 p.m. against the USC Aiken/Catawba College winner.

The BAC win avenged a pair of Crusader losses to FMU during the regular season and snapped Francis Marion’s school-record 17-game winning streak.

Morton (8-2) threw 135 pitches, 95 of which were strikes, while striking out seven and walking three.

Sophomore center fielder Justin Vasquez paced the Crusaders at the plate with a 2-for-4 effort that included a run scored and two runs batted in. Sophomore first baseman Daniel Kassouf was also 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

FMU junior center fielder Martin Gordon and senior designated hitter Jared Barkdoll were both 2-for-4.

Francis Marion took a 1-0 lead in the third when Gordon scored from first on a hit-and-run single by Alex Lee.

The Crusaders answered with three runs in their half of the inning, the first two scoring in unusual fashion. Patrick Atwell and Tyler McKenzie scored seconds apart on a two-run double off the left field fence by Vasquez. The second runner was literally running right behind the first, but the relay-throw home was higher or FMU catcher Jacob Wallace could have had a chance at a double play tag out. Vasquez then scored on a single to left by Spencer Sobol.

The margin grew to 4-1 on a sacrifice fly by Danny Brion in the fifth frame. FMU answered with a run in sixth on a sacrifice fly by Wallace, but Belmont Abbey plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth to lead 6-2. McKenzie and Kassouf delivered RBI singles.

Francis Marion junior southpaw Jeremiah Meiners (6-2) was the losing pitcher as he allowed four runs on four hits in 5.1 innings. He walked four batters and hit one.