BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Campbell University baseball team split Thursday’s doubleheader with the Belmont Bruins. Belmont won game one at Taylor Field by a score of 12-9, while Campbell won game two 22-9. Campbell moves to 15-15 on the season with a 3-10 mark in league play, while Belmont falls to 19-14 with an 11-6 record in the A-Sun.
Belmont 12, Campbell 9 (DH Game 1)
Belmont would storm out of the gates in game one as they would take a 6-1 lead after three complete innings. Over the first few innings the Bruins would score their first six runs on seven hits with the help of two Camel errors.
Campbell would cut the deficit to 11-6 after six complete innings thanks to a strong effort in the fifth and sixth innings.
In the fifth inning the Camels would score two runs on four hits. Campbell got the inning started with a Carlton Floyd (Riegelwood, N.C.) single up the middle. Ellis Lowe (San Diego, Calif.) would follow with a single of his own, allowing Floyd to advance to second base.
Alex Aycoth (Sanford, Fla.) would strike out swinging while Lowe and Floyd advanced to second and third respectively. Brian Gana (Richland, Wash.) would bring Floyd home on a sacrifice fly. Ellis Lowe would come in to score on a Zach Johnson (Smithfield, N.C.) single down the left field line.
In the sixth inning, Campbell would post three runs on zero hits. With just one out Belmont found itself in a bases loaded jam. D.J. Johnson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) was at third, Carlton Floyd was at second, while Ellis Lowe was at first, all reach thanks to walks. Johnson would score when Alex Aycoth was hit by a pitch, leaving the bases loaded.
Floyd would come around to score when Brian Gana was given a free pass. Ellis Lowe would be the final Camel to score in the sixth, as he scored on a wild pitch.
Hunter Ford (2-2) got the start on the hill for the Camels but would be credited with his second loss of the season. The junior from Wilmington, N.C. pitched just 2.1 innings giving up six hits while eight Bruins came in to score (seven earned runs). Parker Fleming (Lexington, S.C.) and Colin Parker (Princeton, N.C.) would finish out the game on the mound for Campbell.
Fleming, like Ford, would pitch 2.1 innings, allowing two runs on just three hits. Colin Parker would throw the final 4.1 innings allowing just two runs on five hits, while striking out two. The 4.1 innings pitched and the two strikeouts are both season highs for Colin Parker.
Trailing 12-6 entering the ninth inning, the Camels would attempt a rally but it would fall just short. Zach Johnson got the inning started with a solo home run, his eighth of the season. With two outs, Chris Bangi (Jacksonville, Fla.) would double to the right center gap allowing D.J. Johnson and Matt Keen (Four Oaks, N.C.) to score. Trailing 12-9, Carlton Floyd would strikeout to end the game.
Campbell was paced at the dish in game one by Chris Bangi and D.J. Johnson. Bangi finished game one with two hits, three RBI and a run scored; meanwhile, Johnson finished with three hits and two runs scored.
Campbell 22, Belmont 9 (DH Game 2)
Game two was nearly the exact opposite of game one, as it was Campbell that jumped out to the early lead. However, there would be no comeback for Belmont.
Campbell got all the offense it needed in the first three innings en route to the 22-9 victory. Campbell would score three runs in the first inning. Chris Bangi would score when Brian Gana advanced to first on a fielding error by the shortstop. After Zach Johnson walked, Alex Aycoth would walk, bringing in Carlton Floyd. Brian Gana would later come around to score.
Campbell would explode for 12 runs in the bottom of the second inning. Highlighting the inning was a Zach Johnson grand slam, his ninth home run of the season. The junior had just four home runs all last season. Ellis Lowe would knock in three runs when the sophomore launched a three-run home run off pitcher Tim Hassett. Lowe’s home run over the left field wall was the first of his career.
Already leading 15-1, Campbell would post four more runs in the bottom half of the third to extend their lead to 19-1. Belmont would post five runs over the middle three innings, while Campbell posted three, as the Camels owned a 22-6 lead after six innings.
In the fifth inning, Campbell got another multiple RBI home run. Ellis Lowe hit his second home run of the game, season and career. This home run was also off of pitcher Tim Hassett.
Logan Davis got the call for game two; the junior from Ft. Cobb, Okla. would pitch six complete innings, allowing six runs on eight hits while striking out seven. The six innings pitched and seven strikeouts are both career bests for the first year Campbell hurler. With the win, Davis improves his record on the season to 6-0.
Colin Parker would pitch the final three innings and would be credited with his first save of the season and the first for the entire Campbell pitching staff. Parker allowed three runs on six hits over the final three innings while striking out four. The four strikeouts surpass the season mark that Parker had tied in game one of the doubleheader.
Campbell had several top performers at the plate in game two. Ellis Lowe finished with three hits, two of which were home runs the other hit was a double. Lowe also drove in seven runs while scoring three. Lowe is the second Campbell batter to have three or more extra base hits in a game this season.
Other top performers included Carlton Floyd who finished with three hits, three runs scored and three RBI. Zach Johnson had just one hit, but made the most of it as it was the second Campbell grand slam of the season, as the junior finished with four RBI. Bryan Braswell (Rocky Mount, N.C.) finished with two hits, two runs scored and an RBI.
Campbell’s 22 runs scored is also a season high, and is the most runs scored in a single game since the 1999 campaign when they scored 22 runs against the Thundering Herd of Marshall University. The 22 runs is tied for third most all-time, Campbell scored 32 runs in 2001 against Radford and 24 runs versus George Mason in 1982.
Campbell and Belmont will conclude their three game conference tilt tomorrow at Taylor Field. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
Courtesy: Will Bratton