Ninth-ranked Campbellsville University opened the 2009-10 wrestling season on the road at NCAA Division I opponent Liberty University, falling late, 25-9.

The bout opened with a pair of nationally ranked grapplers, as Liberty's Chad Porter is listed at No. 16 in the preseason Division I listings at 165 pounds, while James Linker is ranked No. 5 at the NAIA level.

The match remained close, as Linker was awarded a penalty point early in the third because Porter was stalling. But the Liberty junior captain scored a two-point reversal shortly thereafter and added 1:53 minutes of riding time to open the dual with a 7-3 decision.

Liberty's Nick Knowles looked like he was on his way to a high-scoring victory at 174 pounds. The junior scored six first-period points, thanks in part to a takedown and three near-fall points. However, Campbellville's Bryan Wells came storming back with four points in the second, after an escape and a takedown.

Knowles choose bottom position to begin the final period and slipped away from Wells' grasp within the first 10 seconds of the last two minutes, securing the 7-4 decision.

Down 6-0 after two decision losses, the Tigers sent two additional ranked NAIA grapplers out onto the mats at 184 and 197 pounds, and the pair was able to knot the overall dual score with two decisions.

Phillip Oudhuis, who is ranked No. 11 at 174 pounds, and Spencer Adams, who is ranked No. 4 at 184 pounds, both wrestled up a weight class and it proved to be a good decision for the Tigers.

Oudhuis opened with a quick two-point takedown of Liberty's Joseph Son, while adding a second-period escape. Son got on the scoreboard with an escape of his own in the opening seconds of the third period, but that would prove to be the bouts' final points, giving Campbellsville its first victory of the afternoon, a 3-1 decision.

The low-scoring theme continued at 197 pounds, as the match-up between Adams and Jacoby Johnson remained scoreless until 35 seconds left on the clock in the second period, when Johnson was awarded a point because Adams was stalling.

Adams began the final two minutes down and got away from Johnson 20 seconds in, knotting the bout at 1-1. Neither grappler was able to gain much of an advantage over the next 100 seconds, allowing Adams to use his 1:43 riding time edge to give Campbellsville the 2-1 decision win.

With football season still underway, the Tigers' ranked heavyweight, David Coffey, was not in attendance.  Instead, Diante Wright matched up against Liberty's Josh Pelletier, who led 3-0 after five minutes. In the final period, Pelletier carded a takedown and a reversal to go along with 3:06 of riding time to secure a 10-2 major decision win for the Flames.

Pelletier's win at heavyweight gave the Flames the lead for good, as Liberty won four of the final five matches.

The Tigers third victory belonged to sophomore Tommy Pretty, who pulled CU within seven points, 16-9, thanks to a six-point decision at 133 pounds.

Pretty, one of five returning NAIA All-Americans and the Tigers' top-ranked grappler at No. 3, led 4-3 after three minutes of action against Sean Katz, thanks to an opening takedown and late reversal.

Katz's two-point takedown late in the first period proved to be the last time he would add points to the scoreboard. Pretty added six more points thanks to a second-period reversal, a final-period takedown and a 2:48 riding time advantage to claim the 9-3 decision.

Campbellsville (0-1) will have some of its wrestlers compete in the Virginia Tech Hokie Open on Sunday.

Story compiled from Liberty University media relations reports.

RESULTS