BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Michael Felton and Elijah Trail each drove in two while Ryan Mattes notched his second win of the season as Campbell downed Hartford 9-2 in the series opener Thursday at Jim Perry Stadium.
Campbell improves to 3-1 on the season, while Hartford dips to 0-1.
Felton and Trail both went 1-for-4 at the plate with two RBI, while Trail, a junior from Bakersfield, Calif. also scored a run. Ben McQuown added a pair of hits and an RBI and scored a pair of runs.
Nick Ray, Ben Fish and Aaron Vogt also recorded RBI, with Ray posting a 3-for-5 night. Vogt scored three runs for the Camels in the win.
Mattes (2-0), a senior from Virginia Beach, N.C., pitched 7.0 innings with three hits, two runs, both earned, with three walks and a career-high seven strikeouts. Junior righty Ryan Thompson picked up his second save, going 2.0 innings with a hit allowed and three strikeouts.
After Hartford scored two in the top of the second on a Ryan Lukach two-run homer down the right field line, the Camels answered with Vogt and Felton RBI hits in the home half of the inning.
In the sixth, Campbell picked up another pair, starting with a Ben McQuown RBI double that scored Vogt. The junior then stole third and scored on an error to give the Camels a 4-2 lead.
Ben Fish's sacrifice fly added another CU tally in the seventh.
Campbell added four runs in the eighth, starting with a Felton RBI groundout. Trail then doubled to score Graham and McQuown, and Ray topped off the Camel scoring with a RBI single through the right side, plating Trail.
Brian Hunter (0-1) took the loss, scattering four runs, one earned, on four hits with five walks and a strikeout. Brian Murphy pitched 2.2 innings in relief, allowing five runs, four earned on five hits.
The Harford series, titled the Campbell Invitational, is scheduled to continue on Friday at 3 p.m. and resume on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. If needed to complete the four scheduled games, the series will close on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Following the Hartford series, Campbell will head to Durham, N.C. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, taking on Duke.
