Belmont, N.C. - The Lenoir-Rhyne University Baseball Team (15-17) defeated Belmont Abbey College (14-19), 9-6, Wednesday afternoon at Abbey Yard. Junior outfielder Stephen Andrews (Winston-Salem, N.C.) hit two home runs to tie the school record for 13 in a single season to lead the Bears to the victory.
Junior catcher Brian Dice (Hickory, N.C.) drove in a run in each of the second and fourth innings to help L-R jump out to a 3-0 advantage.
Belmont Abbey rallied to take the lead at 4-3 with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning highlighted by Matt Mazzolla's (Bloomfield, N.J.) two-run home run.
Senior third baseman Alex Cooks (Tampa, Fla.), who finished the day four-for-four, hit a two-run home run to put L-R again in the lead in its half of the sixth, 5-4, but Belmont Abbey responded with a run in each of the sixth and seventh innings to go back on top at 6-5.
In the eighth inning, Andrews hit a solo home run to tie the contest at six before sophomore pinch hitter Stephan Arcieri (Roswell, Ga.) delivered the game-winning, RBI single.
Andrews rounded out the scoring with a two-run home run in the ninth. Senior outfielder Evan Taylor (Charlotte, N.C.) also has 13 round-trippers for the Bears in 2010.
Cooks scored four times and drove in two runs as well while senior Brian Chandler (Lenoir, N.C.) improved to 3-4 on the season after throwing two innings without allowing an earned run. Senior Chris Henderson (Lincolnton, N.C.) struck out the side in the ninth for his second save of the year.
Belmont Abbey's Drew Hardee (Clayton, N.C.) fell to 0-1 with the loss.
Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Catawba in a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1 p.m.