BUIES CREEK — Anthony Brocato hit a sacrifice fly to right field in the top of the 10th to score the only run of the game as No. 25 St. John’s defeated Campbell, 1-0, in baseball Saturday at Jim Perry Stadium.
Joe Kelly (1-0) earned the win, pitching the final four innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. St. John’s starter Kevin Magee faced one above the minimum over six innings, fanning 11 batters and allowing two hits.
Campbell junior Tyson Messer (0-1) took the loss, allowing one earned run in the 10th inning.
Zach Minnick (2-for-4) notched two of the Camels’ three hits. With two singles Saturday night, the junior catcher from Logan, W. Va., is hitting 4-for-8 for the series. Matthew Barefoot (1-for-4) had Campbell’s other hit with a single in the bottom of the first.
Three Red Storm players finished with multi-hit games, led by outfielder Jamie Galazin (3-for-5) who scored the eventual game-winning run.
CU pitchers stranded 10 runners total, including four straight innings with a runner on third base. Triton graduate Logan Bender led the staff with four strikeouts over three innings in his collegiate debut.
Michael Horrell started on the mound, pitching the first four innings for Campbell. Jack Yusko and Harry Thomas also made their first appearances of the season.
The Camels will take on St. John’s on Sunday, (Feb. 18) in the series finale. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
(Campbell media services provided the basis for this report)