WILMINGTON, N.C.- Mike Causey scooped a game-winning two RBI single to short center field and Brandon Scott induced a ground ball double play in the ninth to lift Campbell to an 8-6 non-conference victory over in-state rival and No. 22 ranked UNC Wilmington, Wednesday night at Brooks Field. The last time Campbell (12-21, 6-12 A-Sun) dropped a ranked opponent was last season when the Camels beat No. 2 UNC by a score of 7-5 in 11 innings.
Causey, a senior from Wilmington, N.C., had a tremendous day at the plate going 3-for-4 with two runs scored in addition to his game-winning single in the ninth. Joining Causey was Scott who also had three hits and two RBI, including his team-leading third homer of the season.
Freshman Ellis Lowe extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a bases loaded RBI single up the middle in the fourth. Lowe finished the day going 1-for-5 with an RBI.
UNC Wilmington (23-7-1) saw both Bobby Leeper and Jason Appel garner three hits. Appel also knocked in two runs and scored another.
Dan Gardo (4-3) picked up the win in relief of Campbell starter Cody Raisch who threw five strong innings. Gardo, a freshman from West Chester, Pa., allowed three runs over two innings of work, while Scott picked up his first save of the season coming in from left field to throw a shutout ninth inning.
Suffering the loss for the Seahawks was reliever Stephen Harold who scattered three hits and gave up three runs in 1 2/3 innings of work.
Campbell administered a steady dose of offense posting single runs in its first three innings and a pair in the fourth to take an early 5-0 lead. Carlton Floyd drove in Ryan Hamme in the first, who reached on an error by Seahawk left fielder Justin Barefoot to lead off the inning.
Zach Johnson followed suit in the second knocking in Steven Parsons with a grounder to the second baseman. Parsons led the inning off with a walk and advanced to second on a Graham Fronk sacrifice bunt. Scott extended Campbell’s lead to three runs in the third with a solo shot to left field.
Campbell scored two runs in the fourth on just one hit as Seahawk starter Brett Braxton had control problems walking both Causey and Fronk to lead off the inning. After Hamme was intentionally walked to create a force on all bases, Lowe scooted a liner just past the pitcher to score Causey. Hamme scored later in the inning as Scott induced a bases loaded walk to make the score 5-0 in favor of Campbell.
UNCW jumped on the board in the sixth and created what turned out to be a hectic five run seventh. Appel tripled to lead off the sixth inning and was driven in on a Mark Carver ground ball to second. The RBI marked Carvers’ 43 of the season, which leads the Seahawks.
In the seventh inning Appel stroked a two RBI single to right-center, plating both Mike Rooney and Leeper, but was picked off of first. The Seahawks scored their third run of the inning on a Gardo wild pitch, but the momentum builder was an RBI double off the bat of pinch hitter David Stambley giving UNCW a 6-5 lead.
Campbell’s confidence wasn’t scathed as Causey reached on a fielding error by second baseman Matt Holt and scored in the eighth inning. Hamme launched an opposite field double to left field to plate Causey, knotting the game at six.
Singles by Scott and Parsons set the stage for Causey’s two RBI single in the ninth which finalized the score at 8-6 giving the Camels a series split with UNCW.
The last time Campbell beat UNCW was in 2003.
Campbell continues its quest through the A-Sun when it hosts the Jacksonville Dolphins for a three game series on Friday (April 11) and Saturday (April 12). Friday’s game is set for 4 p.m., while Saturday’s doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m.
Courtesy: GoCamels.com