BUIES CREEK, N.C.- Although senior Brandon Scott swiped two bags
and became Campbell's all-time leader in stolen bases, Kennesaw
State managed to push a run across in the top of the
11th on a two-out balk call which elevated the Owls past
the Camels 9-8, Saturday afternoon at Taylor Field.
Campbell (17-28, 10-17 A-Sun) set a new season high in hits with
17, despite leaving 16 runners on base.
With Kennesaw State runners on first and third after senior Justin
Lilly induced two quick outs in relief of Jared Lehman in the top
of the 11th, a first-to-third pickoff attempt was ruled
a balk, which plated Drew Fowlkes in what ended up being the
winning run of the game.
Lilly, a senior from Raleigh, N.C., was throwing on fumes as he was
the starter in the second game of the series in which he threw six
complete innings.
Scott made it a historic day at Taylor Field as he was not only
crowned Campbell's career leader in stolen bases after passing Nic
Carter with 73, but he was one of six players to have multi-hit
performances in the game.
Scott, an outfielder from Robersonville, N.C., collected his
16th multi-hit game of the year going 3-for-6 with two
runs scored.
Stephen Parsons and Ryan Hamme also had outstanding days at the
plate as they went a combined 5-for-9 with five RBI and three runs
scored. Parsons collected
two hits and knocked in three more, while Hamme drove in two
runs.
Lehman (1-1), one of eight Campbell hurlers to throw in the game,
was strapped with the loss after facing two batters in the top of
the 11th. Lehman
was responsible for Fowlkes, who singled to lead off the
11th.
Michael Bohana (3-3) picked up the win for the Owls despite
allowing three runs in 2 2/3 innings of work. Kenny Faulk shut down the Camels in
the bottom of the 11th and earned his first save of the
season.
After Campbell and Kennesaw State found themselves in a 5-5 tie
heading into the ninth, a game of cat and mouse occurred as both
the Owls and Camels scored two runs in the ninth and single runs in
the tenth to send the game into the 11th inning.
Tyler Stubblefield led the ninth off with a single and was advanced
on a Jacob Robbins sacrifice bunt. After Ric Bishop walked, Fowlkes
smoked a two-out two RBI single through the left side to give the
Owls a 7-5 edge in the ninth.
The Camels offense proved to be relentless in the bottom half of
the inning as Parsons walked to lead the inning off and was knocked
in by a Zach Johnson single through the left side. Matt Gardner would later score
who pinch ran for John Watlington who singled earlier in the inning
on a Hamme single to right field.
The scoring trend continued as Kennesaw State pushed across the
go-ahead run in the tenth, but Campbell answered in the bottom half
of the inning. With Scott
attempting to steal third after he singled up the middle and was
moved to second on a sac bunt, Parsons took Bohana's 2-1 offering
and drove it into centerfield to score Scott and tie the game at
8-8.
Kennesaw State finally managed to send a runner across home in the
11th to complete the A-Sun series sweep. The sweep marks the first time the
Owls have taken all three games from the Camels since the two
institutions first meetings in 2006.
Campbell will rest for nearly one week during finals before facing
the NC State Wolfpack on Friday, May 2, at Doak Field. The first pitch is slated for 6:30
p.m.