Boiling Springs, NC – Campbell won its opening Big South series of the 2017 season at Gardner-Webb with a doubleheader split Saturday at J.H. Moss Stadium.
After taking Friday night’s opener 8-6, Campbell dropped game one of the twinbill 10-9 before winning the nightcap 7-2.
Campbell moved to 11-13 overall and 2-1 in Big South play with the doubleheader split, while Gardner-Webb dropped to 11-14 on the season and 1-2 in conference games. Campbell won its opening Big South series for the fifth time in six seasons.
Campbell used a four-run fourth inning to erase an early 1-0 deficit in Saturday’s game two. Cole Hallum and Kevin Barron homered on back to back pitches to give the Camels a 2-1 lead. An Adam Wyse RBI single and a Matthew Barefoot sacrifice fly made it 4-1 CU.
Ryan Kirk (3-2) earned the win, holding GWU to a run on six hits with three strikeouts and three walks in six innings.
Tyson Messer pitched the final 1 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out and walking two apiece. Andrew Witczak bridged the gap, allowing a run on a hit with two strikeouts and a walk in 1 1/3 innings.
Isaac Campbell (0-3) was charged with the loss, allowing four runs on five hits with three strikeouts and five walks.
Kevin Barron was 4-for-5 with a RBI and a run for the Camels, notching his second home run of the season and adding a double in the win. Zach Minnick went 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run, picking up RBI singles in the fifth and seventh to extend the Campbell lead.
Cole Hallum homered twice in the win, recording his fourth and fifth home runs of the season in the fourth and ninth. He was 2-for-5 in the game.
Danny Sullivan was 2-for-3 with two RBI for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, launching a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the second.
In game one of the doubleheader, Campbell rallied for four runs in the top of the ninth, but fell 10-9 to the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
GWU led 10-5 heading into the ninth inning before Campbell plated four runs on five hits, including a two-run home run from Matthew Barefoot. Drew Butler also scored on a wild pitch and Kevin Barron singled in a run in the four-run frame.
A fly ball to center field ended the game, stranding Camels on first and second.
Jarrett Thompson (1-0) picked up the win, pitching two innings with four runs on four hits, a strikeout and a walk in relief. Wil Sellers tossed the final two outs of the game for his third save, allowing a hit with a strikeout and a walk.
GWU starter Bradley Hallman surrendered five runs, four earned, on five hits with two walks in 6 1/3 innings.
Wes Noble (0-1) took the loss for the Camels, allowing two runs, one earned, on a hit with a walk. Alex Yarem allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits with two strikeouts in six innings.
Jeff Hahs homered twice in the loss, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs. The junior homered in the third and sixth innings, also picking up a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Adam Wyse also scored three times, going 1-for-3 in the seesaw contest.
Collin Thacker and Danny Sullivan both drove in three for the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
The Camels will head to Virginia Tech on March 28 before returning to Jim Perry Stadium for their home Big South opener March 31-April 2 against Charleston Southern.
