GREENVILLE, N.C. – No. 9 East Carolina scored the final nine runs of the game to run away with it, as Campbell dropped its final midweek matchup of the season 12-7 Tuesday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
ECU's Evan Voliva (1-0) earned the win in relief, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with one hit and one strikeout. It was the first appearance of the season for the redshirt junior righty from Currituck, N.C.
Logan Bender (4-1) took the loss, allowing five runs – four earned – over 1.0 inning of relief. Campbell lefty
Phil Simpson went 4.1 innings as the starter, allowing two earned runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Senior infielder
Christian Jones (1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI) cranked a three-run homer to lead the Camels offensively. Reigning Big South Player of the Week
Jeff Hahs (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B) extended his hit streak to six games, logging his third multi-hit outing over that stretch.
East Carolina (38-13) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. After Bryant Packard (3-for-5, 3 R, RBI) extended his hit streak to 29 games with a leadoff single, Dwanya Williams-Sutton (4-for-4, 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI) launched an opposite field two-run homer for his sixth of the season.
Campbell (29-22) plated its first run of the night in the top of the fourth. Junior catcher
Zach Minnick (0-for-3, R, RBI) cut the Pirate lead in half on an RBI 6-3 groundout, scoring Hahs from third who led the inning off with a double to left field.
The Pirates went back up two with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Second baseman Nick Barber (1-for-1, RBI) laid down an RBI bunt single, bringing Drew Henrickson (0-for-3, 2 R) home from third to make it 3-1.
The Camels scored six in the sixth to take their first lead of the game. Following a leadoff walk by
Matthew Barefoot (1-for-3, R, RBI) and a single to right center from Hahs, Jones sent a 2-0 offering from Jake Kuchmaner over the right field wall for a three-run homer, his conference-best 15
th of the season.
Campbell loaded the bases immediately after Jones' go-ahead bomb, as Minnick was hit by a pitch,
Tyler Anshaw (1-for-4, R) lined a single to right and
Ty Babin (1-for-3, R) drew a four-pitch walk. Third baseman
Kyle Mehl (1-for-4, RBI) laid down an RBI bunt single, beating out the throw from ECU catcher Jake Washer as Babin came home on the squeeze play.
Bryce Myers (1-for-3, RBI) drew a full-count RBI walk before Barefoot drove a sac fly deep to right field to cap off the six-run frame that put the Camels up 7-3.
The Pirates regained the lead with six runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth. ECU scored on a groundout, a Campbell fielding error, two wild pitches, a double and a sac fly to take a 9-7 lead over the Camels.
East Carolina added three runs to its lead in the seventh, as Packard knocked an RBI single before Williams-Sutton crushed his second two-run jack to score the final runs of the ballgame.
Up next, Campbell is set to wrap up the regular season with a three-game Big South series at Radford. The Camels and Highlanders will battle from Thursday to Saturday, May 17-19 at the Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium in Radford, Va.
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