BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Heath Bowers pitched six shutout innings and No. 29 Campbell held on to edge Rider 4-3 Wednesday night at Jim Perry Stadium.
Campbell, sweeping the two-game midweek set with the Broncs, improved to 18-3 on the season. Rider dips to 8-8 with the loss.
Bowers, a sophomore from Lillington, N.C., allowed just two hits in six frames with five strikeouts and one walk, improving to 4-0 on the season. The righthander faced one over the minimum in the win, benefitting from two double plays.
Campbell pushed its first run across in the second, notching a pair of two-out hits, first from Trevor Lane and then a RBI single from Clayton Brown to score Nick Ray.
After scattering two hits over the next four innings, Brown led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to right. After a Rider error allowed John Reilly to reach, Ben McQuown's sacrifice fly scored Brown, giving the Camels a 2-0 lead. Reilly then scored on another Rider error, putting CU ahead 3-0.
Brown's double in the eighth scored another run for the Camels, who carried a 4-0 advantage into the ninth.
The Broncs rallied with one away in the top of the ninth, posting three-straight base hits to load the bases. Rider picked up its first tally on a Justin Thomas groundout, scoring Ian Lindsay. Justin Mulderig followed with a single up the middle, scoring two more before a fly out ended the Broncs' comeback effort.
Campbell reliever Ryan Thompson surrendered three runs on four hits in the inning, ending a 20 inning stretch for the Turner, Ore. native without allowing a run.
David Olson bridged the gap for Campbell, going two innings with a hit.
Rider starter Jerry Mulderig (1-1) was charged with the loss, allowing a run on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Sean Kuberiet surrendered two runs, both unearned in an inning, while Zach Mawson gave up a run, one hit, with a walk and a strikeout. Chris Taylor and Eric Thomas also pitched scoreless frames for the Broncs.
Brown, a Seattle, Wash. native, went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored to lead the Camels, while Brent Graham and Trevor Lane each posted two hits apiece.
Eric Strano and Adam Wayman both went 2-for-4 for the Broncs, with Lindsay and Mulderig collecing a hit each.
The Camels return to Big South play this weekend, heading to UNC Asheville for a three game set starting Friday, March 22 at 3 p.m.
