No. 1 Campbell Defeats No. 3 Winthrop, Advances to Title Game
The top-seeded Campbell Fighting Camels secured a spot in the 2019 Big South Championship title game by defeating No. 3 Winthrop, 13-5, in the semifinals Friday afternoon at SEGRA Stadium.
The Camels will face the winner of Friday night's elimination game, which will feature Winthrop and either No. 2 Radford or No. 6 High Point. The "winner-take-all" championship game is set for Saturday, May 25, with first pitch at noon as the game will be streamed live on ESPNU.
Campbell posted a five-spot in the bottom of the first and again in the bottom of the eight to pull away with the Camels' fifth-straight win. Additionally, the 13 runs moved Campbell's double-digit scoring streak to five games.
Tyler Anshaw,
Koby Collins,
Grant Harris and
AJ Hrica combined to hit four home runs, setting a new season best for Campbell. Both Collins and Hrica hit two-run dingers while both Anshaw and Harris had solo shots.
Collins went 3-for-4 and finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. He was joined in the three-hit column by
Spencer Packard, who had a 3-for-5 showing that included a two-run single and a one-run double.
Anshaw, Harris, Hrica and
Zach Minnick each collected two hits and scored two runs; Hrica also drove in three runs.
Campbell reliever
Logan Heintzman (4-2) earned the win, tossing 2.1 scoreless frames. He held the Eagles to one hit and no walks while striking out two.
Julian Blackburn entered in the top of the seventh and pitched the final 2.1 innings on the way to his first career save. The redshirt-junior struck out a career-high four batters while allowing no runs on no walks and one hit.
In the first, and with one gone, Anshaw singled and
Luis Gimenez walked to put runners on first and second for Packard, who doubled down the right-field line to score Anshaw. Gimenez advanced to third on the play before trotting home on
Collin Wolf's sacrifice fly to right field.
With Packard still at first, Collins sent a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run home run, his second in as many days. Harris made it back-to-back dingers two pitches later, cranking his fourth home run of the season.
Winthrop cut Campbell's lead to two in the top of the third, scoring three runs as Westlake surrendered two walks, a hit by a pitch and a single. Heintzman entered with the bases loaded and two away. He dealt a groundball but an errant throw by Gimenez at shortstop allowed the third run to score. A flyout to Hrica in center field ended the inning.
Campbell pushed across two runs in the sixth on Hrica's two-run shot, his second this season. Anshaw led off the seventh with his solo long ball, good for his fifth in 2019.
The Fighting Camel offense exploded for five more runs in the bottom of the eighth, putting the game out of reach for the final score of 13-5.
Campbell is set to make its second-straight Big South Championship final appearance Saturday, May 25 at noon. The game will be aired nationwide on ESPNU.