BUIES CREEK, N.C.
Campbell (5-20, 1-4 A-Sun) snapped its 10-game losing streak with a
dramatic, 10-inning 5-4 victory in game two after dropping a 7-2
decision in the first game to Belmont (13-9, 3-2 A-Sun) Friday at
Taylor Field.
Justin Lilly (0-2) took the
loss in game one, as he lasted five innings giving up one earned
run while striking out five. Lee (2-1) threw a complete game for
the Bruins, allowing just one hit past the first inning, giving up
two earned runs. Ryan Hamme (1-0) nailed down
his first victory in game two with two innings of scoreless relief,
while Ben Meador (3-3) suffered the loss, tossing the last 1.1
innings for
Belmont.
Game two provided plenty of
drama at Taylor Field as Belmont came from two runs down in the
ninth to force extra innings. Back-to-back doubles by Derek Wiley
and Kane Simmons cut the Camel lead to one at 4-3, as starter Brandon
Scott was lifted in favor of Hamme. A Packy Elkins pop up to
shallow left fell between Scott and Zach Johnson, putting the
go-ahead run on first for Belmont. Manifold tried to bunt the
runners over to second and third, but Hamme pounced off the mound
to catch the lead runner at third for the first out.
The inning climaxed with the
next two hitters, as Testa hit a hard ground ball that Daniel
Smith stabbed with a diving stop. Smith fired to second to try
and turn the game-ending double play as Johnson hurried the throw
wide of first, bringing in the tying run. Hamme ended the inning by
striking out Matt Reynolds to keep the game tied at
four.
Belmont came close to taking the lead
in the top half of the tenth. Wilson Tucker sent a one-out double
down the left field line to put the go-ahead run at second. Wiley
then lined a two-out single to left, as Tucker was sent chugging
towards home. Scott came up throwing, making a perfect toss to
catcher Bryan Braswell to nail Tucker
at the plate and keep the game knotted at four.
Campbell capitalized on the momentum,
as Carlton Floyd walked to start
the Campbell 10th. Floyd was then thrown out on a Jacob
Allen bunt, but the throw from Wagner on the double play
attempt sailed into the Belmont dugout, putting Allen on second.
Hamme ended the game in the next at-bat as the sophomore lined his
only hit of the night to left, scoring Allen and giving the Camels
a 5-4 win, their first in 10 games.
The Bruins scored a single run
back in the eighth, but a baserunning miscue may have prevented
more Belmont runs. With the bases loaded and one out, Ben Petsch
lofted a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Matt Reynolds from
third. Daniel Wagner, however, was caught too far off second base,
as Floyd's throw from centerfield was cutoff by Zach
Johnson, who threw to second baseman Rob Lyerly to nab Wagner
for the third out.
Scott pitched brilliantly
through eight-plus innings for CU, retiring 14 Bruin batters in a
row at one point. It was the longest outing of the junior's career,
and it helped give Campbell its first Atlantic Sun victory of the
season.
In game two, Campbell
committed four errors, leading to five unearned runs for Belmont,
with Belmont's big inning coming off three unearned runs in the
fifth. A one-out single and double gave the Bruins runners on
second and third, but Lilly struck out Reynolds for the second out
of the inning. However, the Camel defense let Lilly down, as an
Allen error allowed the first Bruin run of the inning. Lilly's
third wild pitch of the game and a Ben Petsch single accounted for
the other two runs, as the Bruins broke a 2-2 tie and went ahead
for good.
Campbell's only offense came in the
bottom of the first with a pair of two-out runs. With Allen on
second, Scott stung a base hit up the middle to score Allen to knot
the game at one. Mike Causey then drove in
Scott all the way from first on a double down the left field line
to give CU the 2-1 lead at that point in time.
Lee held the Camels the rest
of the way as only one CU batter got past third base the rest of
the way. He finished with five strikeouts, walking just one for the
Bruins.
The defense was nothing to
write home about as the two teams committed a combined 10 errors on
the day. Of the 18 runs scored in the doubleheader, only 10 of them
were earned.
Scott also led the way at the
plate for Campbell, as he was 3-7 with two runs and two RBIs on the
day. Causey also added two RBIs on the day and Floyd chipped in two
hits to the Camel effort. Tucker paced the Belmont attack, going
4-7 in the two games. Six different Bruins contributed at least one
RBI, with Petsch being the only one to record multiple
RBIs.
Game three of the three-game
set between Belmont and Campbell will take place tomorrow afternoon
at Taylor Field. First pitch will be at 1:00.