Diamond 'Dogs Upset Twice On Saturday By Campbell, 10-3 / 8-6
April 19, 2008 | Baseball
BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb dropped both ends of a
doubleheader to Campbell on a cloudy baseball afternoon, as the
Camels captured a pair of upset wins, 10-3 and 8-6, at Varsity
Field.
The Diamond ‘Dogs (19-20, 10-14 A-Sun) dropped their first
series since being swept at Lipscomb on March 20-21 – seeing a
streak of three-straight come to an end. The unexpected stumble at
home leaves GWU and Campbell (17-24, 10-14 A-Sun) in a tie for the
fifth seed in the upcoming A-Sun Tournament in late May.
The nightcap saw Gardner-Webb rally to cut a 7-2 lead to just 7-6
in the bottom of the eighth, and GWU seemed to be poised to
complete the rally with runners at second and third and only one
out.
The rally was not to be.
A suicide squeeze attempt was missed at the plate by Tyler Johnson,
and pinch runner Jon Ahearn was caught dead at the plate for the
second out – and Johnson struck out to end the inning with
Campbell still in front 7-6.
Campbell added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, as a
two-out error allowed Brandon Scott to reach. Graham Fronk doubled
into the gap in right to drive Scott home from first, which added
to the momentum regained when GWU botched the squeeze play one
frame earlier.
Gardner-Webb would not scratch in the ninth to drop its second game
of the day.
Campbell and GWU each scored one run in the first inning of the
nightcap, and the Camels plated anoher without using a hit in the
second to take a 2-1 lead – as Mike Causey scored after GWU's
throw down on a steal attempt at third sailed into left, allowing
Causey to trot home easily.
Scott padded the lead with a solo home run in the third, and
Gardner-Webb went quickly to the bullpen to heat up righty Josh
Drewery – who got out of the inning with Campbell holding onto
its 3-1 lead.
Two walks, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Matt Rizzuto helped
GWU cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the third – but
Campbell threatened again with two outs in the fourth.
Drewery loaded the bases after a fielding error at second base and
an intentional walk – and was forced to leave the game after
injuring himself on a pitch to the plate. Reliever Adam Bullard
came on, but a fortuitous chopper to third base drove in a run for
a 4-2 lead, a wild pitch pushed the edge to 5-2 and an RBI single
by Scott to center made the score 6-2 before Bullard could retire
the side.
GWU went quietly in the fourth and fifth, as Campbell backup
catcher Bryan Braswell came out of the bullpen in relief and didn't
make a push until putting up three runs in the seventh and making
its brief run in the eighth.
Braswell (1-1) got the win, working 4.0 innings and allowing just
one run on three hits (two strikeouts).
Scott was a one-man show in the finale, going 3-for-4 at the plate
with a double and four stolen bases. The senior, who was recruited
to Campbell by current GWU assistant and recruiting ace Kent Cox,
worked 3.0 innings on the mound for his second save of the
year.
Campbell had just six hits in the game, but took advantage of three
Bulldog errors to score five unearned runs – effectively
handing the visitors a win.
Gardner-Webb got 10 hits in the finale, with Jamall Kinard
(2-for-4, 3B, RBI) the lone player with more than one. Brett
Stackhouse (1-1) took the loss in his first league start, lasting
just 2.1 innings and allowing three runs on three hits (two
earned).
GAME ONE
Campbell's Justin Lilly tossed a complete-game in Saturday's
opener, as the Camels beat Gardner-Webb, 10-3, to tie the series at
one game apiece.
With the game tied, 2-2, in the top of the sixth, Campbell got a
three-run homer from light-hitting shortstop Zach Johnson to take
control of the game. The Camels added three more runs in the
seventh and two in the eighth for the final margin – as Lilly
kept GWU's bats off balance for remainder of the contest.
The matchup started as a nice pitchers duel, with Lilly and
Gardner-Webb's Webster Beal matching each other on the mound
early.
Campbell broke a scoreless tie with two outs in the third, getting
a line drive up the middle from Ellis Lowe and an RBI double from
Brandon Scott for a 1-0 lead. Scott swiped third, but Beal fanned
Brian Gana to keep the margin at one run.
GWU had a chance to tie the game or take the lead in the fourth,
getting a two-out double from Justin Loyd to put a pair in scoring
position, but the ‘Dogs stranded both – giving them four
stranded in four innings – as Lilly escaped with his lead
intact.
The Camels pushed the lead to 2-0 in the fifth after a brief rain
delay, as Ryan Hamme drove in Johnson from third, rolling a single
through a drawn in infield after a passed ball moved Johnson 90
feet from home plate.
Gardner-Webb tied the game in the fifth, getting a solo shot from
O.J. McFarland to lead off the inning. Brock Miller singled, stole
second and scored on a hit by Daniel Cooke when the ball was
mishandled at first.
Beal got in trouble in the top of the second, however, hitting a
pair of batters and – with two outs – the Camels made the
‘Dogs pay. Relief pitcher Adam Bullard's first pitch fastball
was hammered over the wall in left center by Johnson with two men
aboard, breaking the tie and giving Campbell a 5-2 lead it would
not give up.
GWU's Josh Drewery belted a two-out home run in the bottom of the
sixth, but nobody was on board and the solo shot still left the
‘Dogs down by two – as Lilly worked out of the inning
without further damage.
The Camels blew the game open in the seventh.
Ryan Hamme led off the top of the inning with a towering shot off
the scoreboard to push Campbell's lead to 6-3. Ellis Lowe then
reached on an error, chasing Bullard from the game – and moved
to third on a double by Brian Gana to the wall. Carlton Floyd's
sacrifice fly made the score 7-3, and a base hit by Mike Causey
through the left side plated Gana for an 8-3 Campbell lead.
Campbell added two insurance runs in the eighth, but they weren't
needed – as Gardner-Webb went quietly in the eighth and
ninth.
Lilly (4-2) fanned 10 and walked just two in the game, scattering
eight hits and allowing just three runs.
Gardner-Webb's Beal (3-4) took the loss, working 5.2 innings and
allowing three earned runs (four total) on five hits. The GWU
bullpen gave up six runs in 3.1 innings of work, with freshman Kyle
Paeplow working a scoreless ninth.
GWU got two hits from Justin Loyd (2-for-4) to pace its
offense.
Campbell got two hits from Johnson, Brandon Scott and Hamme to
account for much of its 11-hit attack.
