BELMONT, NC - The bats came alive tonight for the Bears as they tallied 17 hits and 13 runs in a 13-7 victory over host Belmont Abbey in the second round of the NCAA Regional. Leading the way for the Bears was designated hitter
Hogan Stallings, who went 4-for-5 with three RBI's and a run scored.
The 17 hits are the most since the Bears tallied 24 back on March 15th against Emory & Henry. The Bears have had double-digit hits in 39 of their 57 games this season.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (3) Lenoir-Rhyne 13, (2) Belmont Abbey 7
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (45-12), Belmont Abbey (41-16)
Location: Belmont, N.C. | Abbey Field
STORY OF THE GAME
- Sal Carricato opened up the scoring with a two-run home run in the first inning.
- Belmont Abbey tied it with solo runs in the second and third before Hogan Stallings gave the Bears the lead back with a 2 RBI double in the fourth.
- Eli Willen and Carricato each picked up RBI's in the fifth to extend the lead.
- Lenoir-Rhyne scored six runs in the final four innings to secure the victory.
- Cole Stanford capped off the night with a solo shot in the ninth, his second in as many games.
STATS OF THE GAME
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Sal Carricato now sits at 50 career home runs and has tied Mackenzie Wainwright for the single season lead.
- Lenoir-Rhyne has 121 home runs on the year and are 10 away from tying Quincy (2023) and West Georgia (1998) for the all-time single-season record.
- This team joins the 2022 team as the only two Bear squads to win at least two games in the NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT: The Bears advance to tomorrow's championship game at 7:00 p.m. They will face off against the winner of North Georgia and Belmont Abbey, who will face off at 4:00 p.m.
