Tigerville, S.C.—The North Greenville baseball team suffered its first loss of the season Friday afternoon at the hands of the Lenoir Rhyne Bears, 6-2, in the opening game of a three game series, which will wrap up tomorrow in North Carolina.

Derek Fulmer got the start on the mound for the Crusaders, and was a bit shaky in his first start walking five batters. Four of the Bears 6 runs came in the third inning on four bases loaded walks; two from starter Derek Fulmer, and two from reliever Caleb Phillips.

On the day Fulmer was charged with 4 earned runs on just one hit. He struck out two batters. Caleb Phillips, who was called in the third, gave up two hits and walked three.

Offensively, the Crusaders struggled reaching base just four times in the first six innings. The LR pitching staff shut North Greenville down until the eighth inning. With two runners on, David Frazier stroked a hard groundball up the middle scoring Anthony Foulk from third and Derek Fulmer from second. Frazier would be left stranded.

Lenoir Rhyne would add 2 security runs in the 9^th, and would retire the Crusaders in order in the bottom of the inning to pickup the Bears second win of the season.

The loss dropped the Crusaders to 2-1 heading into Saturday’s double-header in Hickory, North Carolina. The first between the Crusaders and Bears is scheduled for 1pm.