BUIES CREEK – The Fighting Camels were walk-off winners in 10 innings for the second time this week to complete the series sweep of Butler. This time it was
Dalen Thompson delivering an RBI single to right to lift Campbell to the 10-9 win.
The win takes Campbell to 6-1, the best seven-game start of
Justin Haire's nine-year tenure at Campbell.
The Camels found themselves in a hole for the third time in as many games against the Bulldogs, but fought back from an 9-2 deficit in the middle of the seventh by scoring eight runs across the final four frames.
The offense got hot with a four-run seventh, kickstarted by a
Drew Winters solo home run.
Lawson Harrill,
Logan Jordan, and
Jarrod Belbin all drove in a run in the frame as well.
Cam O'Brien helped the Camels out of a jam in the eighth, and was nearly perfect in relief, retiring eight of the nine batters he faced, sitting the Bulldogs down in order in the ninth and 10
th innings to keep giving the offense chances.
And the offense took advantage, with Harrill and Jordan driving in two more to get within a run. Down to the final out,
Drake Pierson kept the game alive with a two-out home run to left to tie the game at 9-9.
Campbell kept on rolling in the 10
th, with a leadoff single by
Drew Winters,
Chandler Riley getting plunked, and a Harrill sac bunt to put two in scoring position for Thompson, who slapped a 1-1 pitch to right center to plate Howard and win it.
After being walked 13 times yesterday, the Camels worked only one today, but stayed just as busy on the basepaths by collecting a season-high 19 hits, a mark eclipsed only once in 2022.
Pierson, Harrill, and Arnold all had three-hit days to lead the way, and seven Camels had multi-hit games.
Ernie Day started on the bump and allowed four over four innings while fanning six.
Ty Cummings allowed four runs in two relief innings.
Jeremy Wiegman worked one inning with one run scored, and
Griffin Parrill faced two batters in the eighth before handing it off to O'Brien to finish the job and earn the win.
There is no midweek contest for Campbell this week as they gear up for a nine-game road trip. The first stop is in Lafayette, La. to face the Ragin' Cajuns for a weekend series. First pitch Friday night is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
