BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Campbell University baseball team
defeated Belmont on Friday afternoon at Taylor Field by a score of
14-7. With the victory,
Campbell took the series 2-1; the first conference series win of
the season for Campbell. It
is also the first series win for the Camels over the Bruins since
the 2005 season, when Campbell defeated Belmont two games to one in
Buies Creek.
With Friday's victory, Campbell improves to 16-15 on the season
with a 4-10 mark in league play. Belmont dips to 19-15 with a record of
11-7 in the Atlantic Sun.
Campbell would get nearly all of the offense it needed off the bat
of Brian Gana. The senior
from Richland, Wash. finished the day with four hits on five
at-bats, while driving in six runs and scoring two.
It
was the second straight game that Campbell had a player hit for
three or more extra base hits, as Gana finished just a triple shy
of the cycle with two doubles, a home run and a single. Ellis Lowe (San Diego, Calif.)
achieved the same stat when he had two home runs and a double in
game two of Thursday's doubleheader.
The two-run home run Gana hit over the left field wall was his
second of the season. The
other home run came against NC Central when Gana hit a home run
over the blue monster at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Campbell would continue right where they left off Thursday
night. Campbell posted
seven runs over the first two innings. Three of those runs came in the first
thanks to Gana's two-run home run and Zach Johnson (Smithfield,
N.C.) who scored when Alex Aycoth reached on an error by the third
baseman.
Campbell would tack on four more in the second as they took an
early 7-0 lead. Bryan
Braswell (Rocky Mount, N.C.) would come in to score on a Carlton
Floyd (Riegelwood, N.C.) single to left field. With two outs, Brian Gana would bring
home Chris Bangi (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Carlton Floyd. Gana would complete the scoring
when he came in to score on Zach Johnson's double to the left
centerfield gap.
Belmont would answer the early Campbell charge as they posted three
runs in the third and two runs in the fourth to cut the deficit to
7-5.
Jeff Rydman (Gladstone, Mo.) got the call on the hill for the
series finale for Campbell.
Rydman stumbled in the third and fourth innings but would regain
his focus. The junior
finished with career best 7.1 innings pitched.
The Camels would ease the pressure on Rydman when they posted six
runs in the fifth inning thus extending their lead to 13-5. The Camels six runs came on just
five hits and all six runs were scored with two outs.
Jonathon Lopez (Vineland, N.J.) would shut the door on the
Bruins. The junior transfer
allowed just one run on two hits in his 1.2 innings of relief
work.
Brian Gana's six RBI day is a single game career high for the
senior, while his four hits ties a career mark that he set last
season against High Point.
Campbell also received positive production from a host of Camel
batters. Chris Bangi
finished with an RBI and three runs scored while Carlton Floyd
finished with two hits, two RBI and two runs scored.
Ellis Lowe finished with two hits while driving in a run and
scoring one, while Bryan Braswell finished with three hits, two
runs scored and one RBI.
Zach Johnson and D.J. Johnson also had a strong effort at the dish
on Friday. The Johnson duo
combined for five hits, three runs scored, while Zach drove in a
run.
Campbell will look to continue their current win streak as they
step out of conference play for two mid-week games next week. Campbell will travel to
Greenville, N.C. as they will face nationally ranked East
Carolina. First pitch in
that game is slated for 6:00 p.m. The Camels will return to Taylor Field
on Wednesday when they face Charleston Southern at 6:30 p.m.
