BELMONT, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team let two-run lead slip away in the sixth inning as Belmont Abbey College picked up an 8-4 win on Wednesday night at Abbey Yard.
 
Both sides scored in the opening inning of play with Belmont Abbey gaining an early 2-1 lead. Queens' starter Adam Hartle held the Crusaders in check for three innings, allowing just two runs on four hits with two strikeouts to keep the Royals within striking distance.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Anthony Orta led off the fifth inning with a single, followed by a double from senior Drake Harris to put both runners in scoring position. After redshirt-junior Dominic Ford reached on a fielder's choice that saw Orta get thrown out at home, fellow redshirt-junior Mason Pickard laced a double to the right-center field gap, scoring two and putting Queens ahead 3-2. Sophomore Nick Melton increased the lead to two runs with an RBI single of his own in the inning.
 
However, the Crusaders got a two-run home run from senior Ben Sneider in the home half of the inning to tie the score before scoring three runs in the sixth to take the lead. Belmont Abbey added an insurance run in the eight and left two Royals stranded on the base paths in the top of the ninth to seal the win.
 
Orta finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate, while Melton was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk. Pickard, Harris and junior Chris Shepherd each had a double in the contest and redshirt-senior CJ Hammonds tripled in the third inning.
 
Sophomore Landen Wright came on in relief of Hartle in the fourth inning, his second appearance in as many days, and surrendered two runs on two hits with three strikeouts in two innings. Freshman Julian Bailey (0-1) made his first career appearance on the mound and gave up three runs without a hit and three walks in 1/3 of an inning to take the loss.
 
Freshman Caleb Staley, also making his second appearance of the week, gave up just one hit and struck out two in 1.2 innings, while redshirt-freshman Drew Meschede tossed the final inning of relief.
 
Queens will have a day off before returning to South Atlantic Conference play in a three-game series with Anderson University in Anderson, S.C. Game one is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday night, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.