#1 Campbell Advances to Championship Game with 11-8 Victory over #2 USC Upstate
HIGH POINT, N.C. -- It was a back-and-forth affair deep into Friday night between the Camels and Spartans in a four-hour game that saw Campbell win it 11-8 just before midnight.
Upstate got off to a roaring start scoring four in the top of the first and bouncing Campbell starter Aaron Rund after just 0.2 innings of work. But the 4-0 lead did not last when the Camels countered with five of their own in the home half of the frame to take a 1-0 lead.
The first-inning rally began with a Neto two-out single to start the offense. After an error and RBI helped plate two runs, Ty Babin put the Camels ahead with a three-run blast to right field.
The teams exchanged runs in the third, and exchanged three-spots in the fifth. Upstate scored with a little help from the Camels via error and wild pitch to bring in two runs and put the Spartans up 8-6 at the time.
Campbell again had the answer in the home half, beginning with an RBI double off the wall from Waldy Arias, followed by an RBI from Halstead to set up a Belbin solo blast, his second HR of the day and 17th of the season.
Ryan Chasse took over on the mound in the fifth and allowed one inherited runner to score before tossing 3.0 scoreless innings to earn the win. Chasse found himself in trouble with two on and one out in the eighth and was relieved by Zach Neto.
Neto, who hadn't pitched since Mar. 20 made just his fourth appearance of the year and got the job done. He got a strikeout and grounder to escape the eighth unharmed and struck out two more in the ninth to get his third save of the season.
Four different players tallied multi-hit games to make up Campbell's 13-hit attack in addition to working seven walks. Dalen Thompson made his postseason debut and drove in an important insurance run in his first postseason at-bat in the eighth.
Campbell returns to Truist Point to face fifth-seeded Charleston Southern in the Big South Championship game Saturday at noon. Campbell will have to beat CSU twice for the title. The game is set to air on ESPNU,