Gardner-Webb Falls, 12-2, In Series Finale At Campbell
April 28, 2007 | Baseball
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Gardner-Webb's hopes of a series sweep
fell short Saturday afternoon, as ineffectiveness on the mound and
at the plate resulted in a 12-2 loss to last-place Campbell.
Gardner-Webb (19-28, 8-13 A-Sun) saw starter Wes Cogdill struggle
from the outset, missing very few of the Camel bats. Campbell
(10-36, 4-17 A-Sun) rapped out three hits and went up for the first
time in the series with a run in the second inning, and loaded the
bases with one out in the third with a hit batter and two more hard
singles.
Cogdill then plunked Brandon Scott to put Campbell up 2-0, and
Brandon York followed with a rope to center to put the Camels up
3-0, keep the bases juiced and end Cogdill's day with one
swing.
Reliever Taylor Brooks came on, but uncorked a wild pitch to score
Ryan Hamme from third and give Campbell a 4-0 lead. Brooks
recovered to fan Robb Meng for the second out, but walked Todd
Matthews to re-load the sacks with Camels. A groundball finally
ended the burst, but Gardner-Webb found itself in a considerable
four-run hole.
Cogdill (1-2) was touched up for six hits and four earned runs and
hit two batters in 2.1 innings of a lackluster start for the
Bulldogs.
As the Camels surged ahead, their starting pitcher, righty Blake
Herring, mowed through Gardner-Webb's lineup card. The senior
fanned five batters through the first four innings and allowed just
one base runner (hit batsman) – using an effective changeup to
keep GWU badly off balance.
Brooks got himself into trouble again in the fourth, getting behind
in the count twice and allowing sharp singles to Carlton Floyd and
Daniel Smith to put a pair on board with one out. Of the first 22
pitches the sophomore righty threw, just 11 were across the plate
or in play. Hamme followed with the Camels' third single in a row
to drive in Floyd for a 5-0 lead, and Brandon Scott reached on a
fielder's choice to drive in Smith for a 6-0 Campbell lead. Scott
swiped second and third base easily, but Brandon York struck out
with a wild swing to end the threat.
Nate MacDonald broke up the no-hitter with a single to lead off the
fourth, but Herring erased that runner with a 4-6-3 double play
from the bat of Jay McConnell.
Campbell got to Brooks in the fifth as well, rapping out three
consecutive one-out singles to load the bases. Floyd followed with
a sacrifice fly to push the Camels' lead to 7-0, and Smith followed
with a single off of Brooks' glove to make the score 8-0. Brooks
then walked Hamme to load the bases for the second time in the
inning, bringing southpaw relief man Webster Beal out of the
bullpen. Beal got a pop fly to leave the bags full, but
Gardner-Webb would not find any comfort at the plate in its hopes
of catching up.
Justin Loyd led off the sixth with a single up the middle, and Josh
Drewery poked a two-out single through the right side to put
multiple runners on board for GWU for the first time all day.
Daniel Cooke then hammered a changeup into the gap in right center
to drive in both – and cut the Camels' lead to 8-2. Herring
got Jeremiah Lokken out on a swinging bunt to end the frame still
comfortably in front.
Campbell got a run back in the sixth to go up 9-2, and blew the
game open with three more runs in the seventh – getting a
two-run bomb from Scott for the final 12-2 margin.
Herring (3-7) hurled a complete-game five hitter for the win,
fanning eight Bulldogs and controlling the game from start to
finish. Smith (3-for-4) and York (3-for-4) paced an 18-hit
onslaught for the Camels' offense, with Scott (2-for-4, HR) adding
four RBI.
Cooke (1-for-3, 2B, RBI) paced five different Bulldogs who
collected one hit. Three of the four Bulldog pitchers allowed four
earned runs each. Matt Tafazolli worked a scoreless eighth for
Gardner-Webb.
GWU will play at Davidson on Tuesday, May 1, at 6 pm ET.
| GAME BOX: Campbell 12, GWU 2 |
