GREENSBORO, N.C. — Spencer Packard went 2-for-3 and drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh as the Campbell Fighting Camels held on for a 7-4 win over UNC Greensboro on Tuesday night at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Campbell scored three in the second and led 4-2 through four innings before UNCG added a run in both the fifth and sixth inning to tie the game at four. Campbell went ahead for good in the seventh, as Packard scored Luis Gimenez with an RBI double.
Kevin Westlake earned the starting nod in his hometown, pitching just 4.5 miles from his high school, Page High School. The junior went five innings and allowed three runs on three hits and six walks. Westlake struck out four, matching his season-high that he set back in Opening Weekend at then No. 12 Coastal Carolina.
Redshirt-junior Julian Blackburn picked up the win, tossing an inning and allowing one run. Senior righty Tyson Messer earned his second save of the season, tossing the final inning and getting the winning out on a looking strikeout.
Packard reached base safely in all four of his five at-bats, drawing a pair of walks, while also collecting a single and double for his 11th multi-hit outing of the season.
Matthew Barefoot collected his 14th multi-hit performance with a home run in the third and an RBI single in the eighth. His long ball was his eighth of 2019 and 24th of his career. Gimenez, AJ Hrica, Collin Wolf each had a single in the win, while rookie Waldy Arias ripped a double, which was his second of the season.
In the top of the second, Packard singled through the left side for Campbell's first hit of the night and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Wolf moved him over to third with a single through the right side. Anshaw laid down his team-leading sixth sacrifice bunt to score Packard from third; Anshaw reached on an error by the first pitcher.
Wolf and Anshaw stole third and second, respectively, before scoring on an RBI groundout by Zach Minnick and an RBI single by Hrica.
Barefoot led off the top of third and launched a 1-1 pitch over the left-field wall to put the Fighting Camels back up by three, 4-1.
UNCG cut the lead back to two in the bottom half of third with a sacrifice fly and then trimmed the advantage down to one, 4-3, in the fifth on an RBI fielder's choice. Westlake pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth to preserve Campbell's one-run advantage.
Blackburn replaced Westlake in the sixth and allowed the tying run to score on a sacrifice fly.
Gimenez led off the top of the seventh with a single into centerfield and then scored one batter later on Packard's RBI double into the right-center-field gap. Packard moved over to third on Wolf's groundout to the right side and then scored on a wild pitch, earning Campbell a two-run lead, 6-4.
UNCG threatened in the bottom of the seventh as junior Jack Yusko was called in with the bases loaded and two way. The righty delivered just two pitches to get a flyout to shallow centerfield, keeping the Spartans at four runs.
Campbell added an insurance run in the top of the eighth as Arias ripped a sharp groundball down the left-field line for a leadoff double. He scored on Barefoot's RBI single, which was the junior's 200th hit as a Fighting Camel.
Up next, the Fighting Camels continue Big South play with a trip to Spartanburg, S.C. to face new league member USC Upstate. The three-game series is scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, April 18-20.
