Campbellsville, Kentucky -On a blistering cold day, the Tigers started hot, knocking off #19 Union College in the season opener. Union was 7-0 coming into the game. #24 Campbellsville moves to 1-0 with the win behind a strong showing all the way around.
The Tigers didn't wait around to jump on Union starter Greg Daughtery after a
Brian Edelen threw up a goose egg for the Tigers in the first. Junior transfer
Brandon Hunter got the rally started by getting hit by a pitch on the first pitch of the second inning. One pitch later,
Lee Darracott laced a double down the right field line to give the Tigers runners on second and third with no outs. This all set the table for junior firstbaseman
Nick Smith. Down in the count 1-2, Smith dumped the Daughtery offspeed offering into shallow centerfield, staking the Tigers to a 2-0 lead. The Tigers would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.
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Sophomore
Brian Edelen was solid for the Tigers in his first start of the year. Edelen logged four innings of shut out work and exited the game staked to a 4-0 lead. The Tigers added another pair in the fourth, again via a rally started by
Lee Darracott and
Nick Smith. Darracott singled to lead off the inning and Smith followed on a perfectly executed hit and run to again put the Tigers to do damage. They did just that as senior
Matt Lepage laced a single into right, and
Hector Urbaneja smashed a double into the right center gap.
Brian Fuller,
Marc Wilson, and Jeff Duda all got work out of the bullpen for the Tigers. Fuller picked up his first win of the season as weekend starter Jeff Duda picked up his first save. Duda was able to slam the door on the near Union comeback in the ninth, as he induced a week ground ball back to the mound to seal the team's first win.
Lee Darracott (3 for 4, 2B, 2R) led the charge offensively as he was one of three Tigers with multiple hits.Â
Nick Smith (2 for 3, 3 RBI) and Hector Urabaneja (2 for 5, 2B, RBI) also collected multiple hits.
The Tigers (1-0) travel to Tennessee on Wednesday to take on #17 Trevecca Nazarene.Â
Eric Staples will make his first start against the Trojans. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 PM.
