Jim Perry is shown with Camels coach Justin Haire and Perry’s retired No. 31.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
BUIES CREEK – No. 15 Campbell took the first two games of its Big South Conference baseball series with visiting Charleston Southern and will go for a sweep on Sunday.
Friday
Campbell earned a 7-2 win over Charleston Southern to cap a special night at Jim Perry Stadium. Prior to the game, the Camels retired Jim Perry’s No. 31, the first number to be retired by the program. A crowd of 1,212 was on hand, the fifth largest crowd in stadium history.
Cade Kuehler was brilliant on the mound en route to his sixth win of the year. After allowing a run on two hits in the first, the righty was nearly untouchable the rest of the way. Only two more batters reached in his next six innings of work, and he punched out the side in order in the seventh to complete his longest outing of the season.
Kuehler yielded three hits and one earned run while allowing one walk and striking out eight.
After Kuehler allowed the run in the first, Bryce Arnold answered with a two-run blast just two batters into the Campbell lineup to put the Camels ahead for good.
Campbell’s next two runs were fundamental, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Max Weller and squeeze bunt by Tyler Halstead.
Lawson Harrill added some insurance to Campbell’s lead with a two-run blast in the seventh to put Campbell up 7-1.
After having just three hits Tuesday night, the offense bounced back with 13, led by Jarrod Belbin and Tyler Halstead with three each.
Saturday
Chance Daquila pitched a gem to lead Campbell to an 8-6 victory and series win over Charleston Southern. Daquila carried a no-hit bid into the seventh and turned in the longest outing of the season by and Campbell pitcher.
The Camels improved to 21-4, 8-0 on the season, while CSU dropped to 12-15, 4-4 in the league.
Daquila faced the minimum through his first six innings of work, allowing only one baserunner on an error, but erasing him with a double play just one batter later. After a walk and two fielder’s choices, Nico Regino broke up the no-hit bid with an RBI single to right.
Daquila came back out for the ninth, but allowed a grand slam that ended his day. He turned in a line of eight and one-third innings, three hits, six earned runs, two walks and six strikeouts. His mound effort was the longest since Aaron Rund went eight and one-third against Gardner-Webb at the 2021 Big South tournament.
Bryce Arnold opened the scoring in the third inning with a two-run double to right. Drake Pierson homered the following inning and Lawson Harrill went deep in the sixth to put the Camels up 4-0 at the time. Pierson’s was his team-high 11th blast of the season.
Campbell capitalized on some CSU miscues to score four unearned in the seventh to take an 8-2 lead. Logan Jordan capped Campbell’s scoring with a three-run blast to left, his fourth of the year.
Ty Cummings relieved Daquila in the ninth and induced two groundouts to earn the save.
Tyler Halstead notched three hits on the day, his second straight three-hit day to raise his average to .404. Every Camel that had a hit on the day had at least two.
The Camels will look to sweep a third straight Big South series on Sunday at 2 p.m. (ESPN+).
(Campbell media services provided the basis for this report)
Jim Perry is shown with his family on Friday evening.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
Cade Kuehler warms up in the series opener.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
Tyler Halstead gets a hit for the Camels in a 7-2 win on Friday night.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
There were fireworks after the game Friday night.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
