BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Redshirt-senior outfielder
Bryce Myers crushed two home runs to lead an explosive Campbell offense as CU defeated Bowling Green 17-3 Sunday afternoon at Jim Perry Stadium.
Campbell (4-7) totaled eight extra-base hits on the afternoon with four doubles, two triples and two homers.
Ty Babin (3-for-4, 6 RBI) drove in a team-high six runs, including Campbell's first triple of the season that cleared the bases and scored three. Myers (3-for-5, 4 RBI) collected four RBI on the day as both of his homers were two-run blasts.
Joe Zirolli (2-for-5, 2 RBI),
Luis Gimenez (2-for-5, RBI),
Zach Minnick (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and
Kevin Barron (2-for-4, RBI) also logged multi-hit performances for the Camels.
Matthew Barefoot and
Tyler Anshaw each finished 1-for-4 to round out the Campbell hitters.
Campbell's 17 runs were its most in a single game since defeating Gardner-Webb 17-4 on April 9, 2016, while the 16 hits were a season-high and the most since notching 17 hits at Virginia Tech on March 28, 2017. Myers became the first Camel with two home runs in a game since
Cole Hallum had two at Liberty on May 6, 2017.
Senior righty
Harry Thomas (1-0) was credited with the win, allowing just one hit over 1.1 innings of relief. Freshman right-hander
Brandon Jenkins was solid in his first collegiate start, fanning a career-high seven batters over 3.2 innings.
Jack Yusko's ERA remained perfect on the year as the Raleigh, N.C. native gave up no runs over one inning pitched.
Jamil Vanheyningen also threw a scoreless inning of relief as the freshman righty held the Falcons hitless in the seventh. Barefoot made his first collegiate appearance on the mound in the top of the ninth, closing the door with two strikeouts in the final frame.
The Camels opened the game with a four-run bottom of the first. Zirolli got the scoring started with a two-RBI double to left field, scoring Anshaw and Minnick. Babin collected his first two RBI of the game on a single to left that drove in Zirolli and
Christian Jones.
Campbell broke the game wide open with a 10-run at-bat in the bottom of the fourth that saw 13 Camels step up to the plate. Gimenez notched an RBI after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, followed by Barefoot who drew a four-pitch walk to score Barron. Anshaw hit a blooper to center to score Myers and Gimenez, and two batters later, Babin cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple to right center. Barron doubled to left center to bring Babin home, then Myers crushed a ball over the left field wall to cap off a huge fourth inning for the Fighting Camels.
Babin logged his sixth RBI on a groundout in the sixth, scoring Zirolli from third. After Barron reached on a throwing error, Myers cranked his second bomb of the game to left field for Campbell's 16
th and 17
th runs on the afternoon.
Up next, Campbell hosts No. 10 NC State in a rematch of Saturday's game in Raleigh. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7 at Jim Perry Stadium.