BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Senior right fielder Sarah Forgacs (Cary, N.C.) belted a three-run homer in the fourth to aid Campbell to a 3-1 win against Winthrop on Wednesday evening at Amanda Littlejohn Stadium.
The effort in the circle from freshman pitcher Courtney Roberts (Simpsonville, S.C.) was equally as impressive as she rung up nine Eagles' hitters during the complete-game three hitter. She is now 12-4 on the season.
Campbell (24-12, 8-2 Big South) tallied six hits, each by a different player, while the lone run scored by Winthrop (17-17, 5-5 Big South) was a solo homer by Kelsey Ritter with two-outs in the seventh.
Falling to 11-9 during the season was Sutton Watson for the Eagles, who totaled four strikeouts in six innings of work.
The defense was perfect for each team in backing up their pitchers. The first highlight was a diving catch by MecKenzi Corn in left that robbed sophomore center fielder Stephanie Jones (Black Mountain, N.C.) of a base hit, while sophomore left fielder Kailey Farmer (Durham, N.C.) ended the fourth with a catch at the top of the fence in foul territory.
Winthrop started with a single up the middle by Teja Durante and two walks loaded the bases before Roberts forced a pop up in the infield to retire the side. It would end up being the best scoring opportunity for the Eagles all game as Roberts settled down and became dominant as the progressed.
A line shot to left started the first for Jones before sophomore shortstop Ericka Nesbitt (Salisbury, N.C.), who returned from injury after missing nine games, used a sacrifice bunt to move the runner into scoring position. The side would be retired without any damage done by Watson.
Campbell threatened with a runner on second and one out in the second and third, but were unable to take the lead. Roberts cruised through the fourth, allowing just one base runner, a wild pitch on a strikeout, after the first inning.
The Camels strung together two hits from juniors first baseman Raven Lee (Battleboro, N.C.) and designated player Olivia Scarborough (Buies Creek, N.C.) during the bottom-half.
Facing a 1-0 count, Forgacs came through with a clutch one-out homer to left that broke the scoreless tie. It was the fourth round-tripper of the season for Forgacs, who had already eclipsed her personal-best in the category.
Roberts continued to deal in the circle as six of the final nine outs came via the strikeout. The only base runner prior to the homer by Ritter in the seventh came from Kristy Noble during the sixth.
Campbell continues to Big South play with a road trip to Presbyterian beginning on Friday with a doubleheader at 2 p.m. All the action can be followed from a far with live stats and free audio links on the softball schedule page.
The next home game for the Camels is on Wednesday as North Carolina State comes to Amanda Littlejohn Stadium for a 4 p.m. doubleheader. It will serve as the annual "Strikeout Cancer Day" for Campbell.
