April 6, 2008 |
CRUSADERS TAKE TWO FROM SAINTS |
GAFFNEY, S.C.—Belmont Abbey swept Limestone College in Conference Carolinas baseball action on Sunday afternoon at Bob Prevatte Field. The two teams were originally slated to play two seven-inning games, but the first contest took 10 innings to decide. The Crusaders won game one 7-4, and took game two 6-3. The Abbey improves to 29-14 (15-5 league) as the Saints fall to 20-25 (9-11). In game one, Limestone got on the board in the first inning. Zach Watkins (Albany, Ga.) hit a lead-off triple. Watkins came home on a sacrifice fly by Josh Izokovic (Shelby, N.C.). Adam McSwain (Fallston, N.C.) got to third after the Belmont Abbey right fielder dropped a fly ball. Drew Lydon (White Plains, Md.) followed up with a double to get McSwain home. The Crusaders scored their first run in the second on a sacrifice fly by Chris Vazquez (Miami, Fla.) The Abbey tied the score in the fourth off a sacrifice hit by Carlos Vasquez (Palm City, Fla.). McSwain gave the Saints the go-ahead run when he homered to lead off the fourth inning. David Christy (Greenville, S.C.) hit his first career home run for Limestone’s 4-2 lead in the sixth. Belmont Abbey rallied in the seventh as the Crusaders loaded with bases with no outs. Will Breslin (Daytona Beach, Fla.) batted in Tyler McKenzie (Winston-Salem, N.C.) before being thrown out at first as the Abbey to cut the Saints’ lead to one. Seth Waller (Salisbury, N.C.) scored the game-tying run on the next at bat. Limestone got out of the inning as Carlos Vasquez popped up to Saints’ shortstop Dylan Anthony. Anthony threw out Alex Castellanos (Miami, Fla.) at first. With either team unable to score the winning run in the bottom of the seventh, the contest headed to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, Vasquez hit a three-run homer as the Crusaders took the 7-4 win. The Saints’ Clayton Knight (Moncks Corner, S.C.) pitched the first 6 1/3 innings as he recorded 7 strikeouts and gave up 10 hits and 4 runs. He was relieved by Brock White (Gaffney, S.C.). White had three strikeouts in the final 3 2/3 innings and allowed three hits and three earned runs for the loss. Watkins batted 3-5 for the Saints with 1 run scored. McSwain hit 2-3 with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored. Andy Helms (Locust, N.C.) threw three strikeouts in the first six innings for the Abbey and allowed nine hits and three earned runs. Andrew Morton (Lexington, N.C.) came into the game in the seventh and pitched four scoreless innings for the win as he struck out two batters and gave up three hits. Castellanos batted 4-5 in game one with one RBI and a run scored for Belmont Abbey. The Crusaders started game two with six runs in the first inning. Phillip Soden (Inman, S.C.) scored for Limestone in the bottom of the inning off a double by Lydon to make the score 6-1. The Saints continued to chip away at Belmont Abbey’s lead as Lydon hit a sacrifice fly in the third with the bases loaded to bring Zach Watkins (Albany, Ga.) across home plate. Christy hit an RBI single in the next at bat to put the Saints within three of the visitors. However, Limestone couldn’t score another run as Belmont Abbey took the game 6-3. Limestone’s Thomas Fekete (Aiken, S.C.) pitched the first 4 2/3 innings as he took the loss. Fekete allowed 10 hits, 5 earned runs, and walked 5 batters. Jordan Liette (Versailles, Ohio) came into the contest in the fifth and pitched the remaining 2 1/3 innings. He only allowed one hit and struck out two batters. Michael Raymond (Mount Holly, N.C.) pitched all seven innings for Belmont Abbey. He recorded five strikeouts and gave up six hits. The Crusaders’ Castellanos hit 3-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored. McConnell batted 2-4 with 1 RBI and 1 run. |
| Limestone and Belmont Abbey will conclude their three-game Conference Carolinas series tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Bob Prevatte Field. |
| Game 1 Box Score |
| Game 2 Box Score |
Today was Senior Day for Limestone as the team recognized its 12 seniors for their hard work and dedication to the Saints baseball program. |
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-LIMESTONE- |
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Dylan Anthony has been a shortstop with the Saints varsity team since 2006. He has played in 116 games with 100 starts. During his career at Limestone, he has recorded 151 total bases, 15 doubles, nine home runs, and 55 RBIs. Dylan ranks in the top 5 in the Limestone single season records with 24 stolen bases recorded during his junior season. He is also in the top 5 of Limestone’s career records with 38 stolen bases. Dylan is a native of Lincolnton, N.C. and is the son of Barry Anthony. 
Brian Baugher joined the Saints after his JUCO career at Louisburg College. He has recorded wins against Belmont Abbey, Ohio Valley University, and St. Andrews during his time at Limestone. He has 21 career appearances as a Saint with 68.2 innings pitched and 44 strikeouts. His parents are Wayne and Brenda Baugher. He is originally from Frederick, Md.
Catcher Kyle Brewer joined the Saints last season. Before joining Limestone in 2007, he helped Walters State Community College to the 2006 JUCO World series. He has 68 starts and 77 appearances in his two seasons at Limestone. He has hit 8 doubles, 3 triples, and 6 homeruns while driving in 37 runs, and has a career fielding percentage of .976. Kyle is the son of Gary and Janet Brewer of Greutli-Laager, Tenn. 
Evan Denton has played for the Saints since 2005. He has appeared in 32 contests with 93 innings pitched, and 70 strikeouts. Evan has posted wins against conference-rivals Belmont Abbey College and Anderson University. He posted a career-high 26 strikeouts during his sophomore season in 2006. A native of Gastonia, N.C., his parents are Rhonda and David Denton.
Alex Dergins, from Morganton, N.C., played two seasons at Blue Ridge Community College before joining Limestone in 2007. In his first season with the Saints, he posted a 2.13 ERA in 19 appearances and struck out 14 batters. Despite sitting out this season with an injury, Alex is ranked 6th in the Limestone career records with his five saves during the 2007 season.. He is the son of Scott and Pam Dergins.
Kyle Elliott came to Limestone in 2005. He has 32 career appearances for Limestone with 40 inning played, and posts 21 strikeouts. Kyle has recorded wins against King College and Augusta State University. This season, he recorded his first save versus Lynchburg and has a career-high nine strikeouts. From Shelby, N.C., he is the son of Andy Elliott and Lisa McLaurin. 
Josh Izokovic came to Limestone from Shelby, N.C., for the 2005 season. He has played in 89 contests during his career as an outfielder, including a career-high 38 games this season. His career batting average is .326, he also has 18 doubles, a triple, four homeruns, 37 RBIs, and has a fielding percentage of .989. He has also stolen 19 bases since 2005, and is currently tied for first on the team with 13 doubles in 2008. He is the son of Kyle and Valerie Izokovic. 
Designated hitter Adam McSwain spent a year at Spartanburg Methodist and Blue Ridge Community College before becoming a Saint in 2007. At Blue Ridge, he earned Second-Team All-Region honors. Adam has a career batting average of .368 at Limestone, 21 doubles, two triples, and 16 home runs. He ranks top 10 in the Limestone career and single records in batting average. This year, Adam leads the Saints with 102 total bases, 47 RBIs, and 8 home runs. He is the son of Mike and Carol McSwain of Fallston, N.C.
First baseman Phillip Soden has been a Saint for his entire college career. He has played in 134 games since joining the Saints in 2004. He ranks in the top 10 in the Saints single season records with eight triples posted during his junior and senior seasons, and is tied for first in the Limestone career records with 17 triples. Phil has a career batting average of .313, and has 22 doubles, 17 triples, 15 homeruns, and 75 RBIs. A native of Inman, S.C., his parents are Conley and Phyllis Soden.
An outfielder from Sarasota, Fla., Ron Torrance started his college career in 2006, and sat out the 2007 season as a redshirt. He has appeared in 19 games, recorded a double and five RBIs. His parents are Ron and Barb Torrance. 
A centerfielder from Albany, Ga., Zach Watkins played for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College before transferring to Limestone as a junior. With the Saints, he has a career batting average of .317, 17 doubles, 10 triples, 7 homeruns and 61 RBIs. He has started in 85 of his 90 appearances. This year, Zach leads the Saints with 20 stolen bases. He is the son of Cindy Collins. 
Chris Zimmerman played at Blue Ridge Community College before playing for the Saints. Since joining Limestone in 2007, Chris has appeared in 31 contests, recorded nine wins, 56 strikeouts, and three complete games in 115.1 innings pitched. This season, he leads the Limestone pitching staff with six wins, including a complete game. A native of Hendersonville, N.C., he is the son of Donald and Cordelia Zimmerman. 