CLINTON, S.C. – Designated hitter Ty Babin put Campbell up for good with an RBI single in the top of 10th as Campbell defeated Presbyterian 6-3 Friday afternoon in a Big South Conference game at the PC Baseball Complex.
With the score tied at 3, Babin knocked a single to left center to score Matthew Barefoot, who went 3-for-4. Tyler Anshaw followed with a two-run single to center field to give the Camels two insurance runs in the 10th for a 6-3 advantage.
Campbell’s Harry Thomas (2-0) was credited with the win, facing one above the minimum over the final one and two-thirds innings. The senior from Washington, D.C. kept the Blue Hose off the board, ending the game with a strikeout and lowering his ERA to a 2.78.
Redshirt senior Allan Winans produced his sixth quality start of the year, giving up just one earned run over six and one-third innings of work. A native of Bakersfield, Cal., Winans fanned four batters and gave up just one walk.
Babin, Anshaw and Christian Jones each collected two RBIs to lead Campbell offensively. Six Camels logged multi-hit outings, highlighted by Barefoot who totaled three singles for the game.
Campbell (18-16, 10-3 Big South) struck first as Jones knocked a two-run single in the top of the third. With Barefoot and Luis Gimenez on second and third, Jones pushed a hit through the left side for his 36th and 37th RBIs of the season.
Presbyterian (12-24, 6-7 Big South) pulled within one on a solo home run from Nick Guimbarda in the bottom of the fifth. The Blue Hose center fielder sent a two-out bomb over the right field wall for his fourth homer of the season to cut the Campbell lead to 2-1.
The Camels took a two-run lead in the top of the seventh after Babin entered the game as a pinch hitter and sent an RBI-single up the middle. Kyle Mehl crossed the plate to make it 3-1 after reaching base on a blooper to right center.
PC tied the game in the bottom of the seventh when Guimbarda drove in two on a one-out single to right field. Both runs went down as unearned as they followed two errors from the Campbell infield.
CU relievers Logan Bender, Phil Simpson and Thomas shut the Blue Hose down over the final three and two-thirds innings, collectively giving up just two hits and striking out five over that span.
Barefoot drew a full-count walk to lead the Camels off in the top of the 10th. Gimenez moved him over on a sacrifice bunt. After Babin stepped up and drove Barefoot home, Jones followed with a single to left center to put runners on first and second. A deep flyout from Zach Minnick allowed both runners to tag up and advance to second and third before Anshaw golfed a single to center to score them both.
Campbell goes for the series win Saturday (April 14) as a doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
(Campbell media services provided the basis for this report)
