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BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell cut the East Carolina lead to two with a pair of late runs, but fell short Tuesday night 7-5 in nonconference action at Jim Perry Stadium.
The Camels (24-9) committed a season-high five errors against the Pirates (20-13), while stranding 10 on base, leaving the bases loaded in the seventh and eighth, and two on in the ninth.
Down 5-3 in the top of the eighth, a two-out miscue allowed two ECU runs to come home, extending the Pirate lead to 7-3. An error also cost the Camels in the second after Charlie Yorgen's two-run single, allowing another run to score and giving ECU an early 3-0 lead.
The Pirate win evened the season series, with Campbell topping ECU 9-4 in Greenville earlier this season.
Jacob Wolfe (2-1) earned the win for ECU, going five innings with three runs, all earned, on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
Travis Long (3-1) took the loss for Campbell, surrendering three runs, two earned, on five hits with a walk in two innings. Bobby Thorson worked the final two frames, allowing an unearned run on two hits with two punchouts and a walk.
Andrew Witczak bridged the gap, working five innings with three runs, two earned, on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks.
Witczak, a sophomore from Timonium, Md., struck out Pirates to end the fourth, fifth and sixth, stranding five and hanging zeros in his final four complete innings.
Cole Hallum homered for the 10th time this season with one out in the bottom of the second. The solo shot cut the ECU lead to 3-1.
After the Pirates answered with two in the top of the third, Seth LaRue singled in a pair on a two-out base hit, making it 5-3.
With ECU ahead 7-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Campbell loaded the bases and scored one on Matt Parrish's sacrifice fly.
Campbell rallied again in the bottom of the ninth, with Steven Leonard's second double of the game coming with two outs. Kyle Leady's chopper through the right side scored Leonard to make it 7-5, but a fly out to center ended the CU spurt.
Leonard was 2-for-3 for the Camels with two double and two runs, while LaRue knocked in two, foing 2-for-4. Freshman shortstop Dustin Krob also went 2-for-4 and scored a run in his first collegiate multi-hit game.
Jackson Mims and Hunter Allen both notched three hits apiece for the Pirates, while Charlie Yorgen knocked in two in the win.
Campbell hosts North Carolina Central tomorrow at 6 p.m.
The Camels return to Big South play this weekend, traveling to Liberty April 10-12. The series finale, Sunday at 4 p.m., will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
