Starter Michael Horrell struck out nine in seven innings.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

BUIES CREEK — Senior right-hander Michael Horrell struck out nine across seven shutout innings and the Campbell bats strung together 12 hits as the Camels opened their Big South series against Longwood with a 12-1 win Thursday night inside Jim Perry Stadium.

Horrell’s seven innings with no earned runs lowered his home ERA to 0.83 and improved his home record to 6-0. The senior from Winston-Salem issued just one walk to his nine strikeouts on way to his eighth win of 2019, making his record to a team-best 8-3.

Matthew Barefoot went 2-for-3 and hit his 11th home run of 2019, and the 27th of his career, moving him into ninth all-time in the Campbell baseball record books. Both Barefoot and A.J. Hrica drove in three runs in the win.

Koby Collins went 3-for-4, collecting a double and a pair of singles while driving in two runs. He also scored three times. Collin Wolf was the third Camel to log a multi-hit outing, going 2-for-4 with two singles.

Ty Babin, Spencer Packard and Zach Minnick each had two-baggers as Campbell finished the night with five extra-base hits. Luis Gimenez rounded out CU’s 12 hits by collecting an RBI single.

Longwood’s John Gregory (3-4) was saddled with the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits across his 5.2 innings of work.

The score remained scoreless through the first three and a half innings until Barefoot lifted a 3-1 pitch over the leftfield wall in the bottom of the fourth, putting the Camels ahead 1-0.

In the bottom of the fifth, Collins led off with a double and Harris followed by reaching on an error. Minnick scored Collins from third with a sac fly into right field. Two batters later, Campbell executed a hit-and-run to perfection as Barefoot singled through the left side to score Harris from second base, making it 3-0, Campbell.

Packard led off the sixth with a double, his 11th of the season, and then moved over to third on Wolf’s fly ball to the center-field warning track. One batter later, Collins drove in Packard with an RBI single up the middle that went right under the pitcher’s glove. Hrica kept the inning going with a two-run base hit that scored Collins and Minnick, who reached on a double, moving Campbell’s lead to six, 6-0.

Campbell’s lead ballooned to 12 runs in the bottom of the seventh when the Camels posted a six-spot on four walks, two hit by pitches and two singles.

Freshman righty Zach Adams relieved Horrell in the top of the eighth and did allow an earned run in the inning, but he stayed in to close out the game, striking out four while issuing no walks over the final two innings.

The second game of the series between the Camels and Lancers is scheduled for Friday, May 17, at 3 p.m.

(Campbell media services provided the basis for this report)

Matthew Barefoot comes home after his 11th homer this season.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Luis Gimenez slides into third for the Camels on Thursday night.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Zach Adams took the mound in relief for the Camels.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)

Zach Minnick connects on a sacrifice fly for Campbell.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)