Matthew Barefoot (Midway) motors to third on Saturday.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
BUIES CREEK — For the second straight year, the Campbell baseball team clinched a Big South Conference regular-season championship on its Senior Day, blanking the Longwood Lancers, 11-0, on Saturday afternoon at Jim Perry Stadium.
With the win, the Camels earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2019 Big South Tournament that will be played in Fayetteville at the new Segra Stadium.
Rookie lefty Ryan Chasse (7-2) collected the win over Longwood, striking out seven over six shutout innings. He allowed just two base hits and no walks to the 18 batters he faced.
Julian Blackburn, Logan Heintzman and Tyson Messer (Harnett Central) pitched one inning apiece to close out the game, and each reliever collected a pair of strikeouts. Campbell finished with 13 punchouts and no walks.
Tyler Anshaw, Grant Harris, Zach Minnick and Spencer Packard each had 2-for-4 showings at the plate. Anshaw added an RBI double and a three-run home run, Harris had a solo home run and an RBI single, Minnick collected a solo dinger with an RBI base hit, and Packard finished with a double and an RBI single.
Both Collin Wolf and A.J. Hrica had a base hit apiece, rounding out Campbell’s 10 hits on the day.
With one gone in the bottom of the third, Hrica singled into right field. Gimenez popped out to the first baseman for the second out, but Barefoot drew a five-pitch walk, bringing Anshaw to the plate, who lifted a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall to put the Camels ahead 3-0.
Harris and Minnick hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the fourth to move Campbell’s advantage to five, 5-0.
Highlighted by Anshaw’s RBI double, Campbell posted a five-spot in the bottom of the sixth to go up 10-0, reaching double-digit runs for the third straight game. The Camels added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on Packard’s RBI single that scored pinch-runner Cameron Witt.
The Camels start play in the Big South Tournament on Thursday.
(Campbell media services provided the basis for this report)
Campbell’s Luis Gimenez prepares to make a tagout.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
Tyler Anshaw is congratulated after a 3-run homer.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
Campbell starter Ryan Chasse had seven strikeouts.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
Matthew Barefoot makes a leaping catch at the fence in an 11-0 win.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
Tyson Messer (Harnett Central) delivers on Senior Day.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
Campbell players celebrate another Big South regular-season title.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
The Big South Conference Tournament is up next for the Camels.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
Campbell seniors are, from left, Tyler Anshaw, Phil Simpson, Tyson Messer, Luis Gimenez, Zach Minnick, Matthew Barefoot (junior) and Michael Horrell. Barefoot is a likely high selection in the upcoming MLB draft.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/Paul Burgett)
