BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell evened its three-game Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) baseball series with North Carolina A&T on Saturday by grabbing an early lead and never relinquishing it in a 13-6 win at Jim Perry Stadium. The two teams will play the rubber game on Sunday from Perry Stadium starting at 1 p.m.
A&T and Campbell continue battling toward the middle of the CAA standings. The Aggies dropped to 18-12 overall and 3-5 in league play. The Fighting Camels used four home runs to improve to 21-9 overall and 4-4 in league play. After posting 13 runs against the Camels on Friday, the Aggies offense stayed strong in Game 2.
The Aggies scored two runs in the first inning. Senior Michael Logan hit a one-out single up the middle, and Tatsunori Negishi extended his streak of reaching base safely to 17 games with a single through the right side. After Negishi stole second, junior catcher, Canyon Brown ripped a two-run RBI double to center field to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead off Campbell starter and right-handed pitcher Cooper Clark (W, 2-0).
But the Campbell offense responded in the home first. The Camels scored six runs off A&T starter and right-hander Diego Barrett (L, 1-3). After hitting Reed Stallman with a 1-2 pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run, Barrett gave up a three-run double to Andrew Schuldt to put the Camels in front 4-2. Charlie Meglio followed with a two-run home run to left-center field to give the Camels an early 6-2 advantage.
Things went smoothly for Barrett over the second and third innings as he combined to strike out five Camels before giving up a leadoff home run to Braeden O'Shaughnessy in the fourth inning. Campbell added two more runs in the frame. Dalen Thompson hit an RBI sacrifice fly to score one of the runs, and Lawson Harrill scored on a wild pitch to provide the other. A&T RHP Brock Duff replaced Barrett following the wild pitch, getting Stallman to fly out to left.
Campbell added another run in the home fifth before the Aggies responded in the visitor's sixth. Logan led off the frame with a double down the left field line before Negishi singled to put the Aggies on the corners. Brown hit into a double play, allowing Logan to score to cut Campbell's lead to 10-3. After Campbell posted another run in the sixth, the Aggies made a valiant effort to reduce the sizeable lead.
With one out in the visitor's seventh, Clark hit senior infielder Devon Rodriguez with a 2-1 pitch. Junior infielder Enrique Wood then singled to left field, followed by an RBI single by junior infielder Isaiah Monge to score Rodriguez. Dalton chased Clark from the game with a two-run single to center, cutting Campbell's lead to 11-6, and RHP Garret King was on the mound.
King was aided by Dalton getting picked off first base before Logan grounded out to end the threat. Campbell added two more insurance runs in the home eighth before the Aggies mounted a rally in the ninth. RHP Drew Siegner started the frame for Campbell and gave up a single to Rodriguez. Monge singled through the right side with one out to put runners on first and second. But a ground out by Dalton and a strikeout by Logan closed things out for the Camels.
Dalton reached base on Saturday with a hit and a walk to end his reaching base safely streak to 26 games. Negishi continued his excellent season, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Logan and Monge also had multiple-hit games, with Logan going 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Monge had two base hits. Brown had a solid defensive game with four assists, including a caught stealing in the seventh inning.
