Box Score Pregame tailgating, lawn games, dignitaries and errors could sum up Campbellsville University's first-ever night baseball game at Tiger Field. The latter was the only negative, as a 3-0 lead early in the game proved to be the difference though, as the 20
th-ranked Campbellsville fell to Trevecca Nazarene University, 9-6.
Prior to the game, Mark Johnson, president and CEO of Citizens Bank and Trust, threw out the ceremonial first pitch as the lights were turned on. By the seventh inning, the lights lit Tiger Field under the dark evening sky.
"It was absolutely fantastic. It couldn't have gone better except us not winning the game," CU head coach
Beauford Sanders said. "It was a great crowd. It was great to see the (Citizens Bank) board members here and throwing out the first pitch. I can't say enough about the support from the athletic department, the administration and others. There was a lot of planning, a lot of sacrifice, a lot of fund-raising and a lot of community efforts involved.
"It humbles me to be able to stand here and look at these lights and this field. I'm a lucky guy to be at this stage in my career and to have a facility like this, this coaching staff and the support. I couldn't ask for more."
Two of the Trojans first three runs were unearned. After Trevecca opened its scoring with an RBI single from Chris Hale, TNU scored its first unearned run when Edwin Borbon, who reached on an error, scored on a grounder by Chad Reynolds. Trevecca added another unearned run in the third when Borbon singled to left but advanced to third on a misplayed ball. Hale knocked him in five pitches later.
Campbellsville put up a two spot in the fourth after Brian Chase led off the inning with a single and Logan Smith was a hit by a pitch. Richie Rowland followed with a bases-loading single, but a bobble on the play allowed Chase to trot home for the Tigers' first run. Craig Edwards hit a sac fly to later score Edwards and pull CU within a run, 3-2.
Trevecca's Matt Tidwell answered the two Tiger runs with a first-pitch home run to push the lead back to three, 5-2. From there on, both teams canceled each other out the rest of the way.
"We beat ourselves, flat out," Sanders said. "There was no defense for the home run, but we allowed four unearned runs off four errors. If you take those away, we win, 6-5."
Trevecca built its lead to 8-2 in the seventh, with an RBI single by Hale and a two-RBI single by Reynolds.
Campbellsville answered with a three-run, two-out rally in the bottom of the inning. Smith singled in Jameel Ziadeh, followed by a two-run double by Rowland, who was 4-for-5 in the game. The rally ended with a force out at second base that left two runners stranded.
Both teams added a run in the eighth. Ziadeh scored CU's run on a single by Michael Caleb. The Tigers left the bases loaded. Both teams were hitless in the ninth.
Rusty Devitt (2-2) recorded the loss after 4 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs of seven hits and two walks. He had five strikeouts. The victor was Caleb Longshore (4-2), who tossed 6 2/3 innings. He struck out three while allowing five earned runs off nine hits and a walk.
Tyler Craig made his NAIA pitching debut with 1 1/3 innings of relief work. His only batter allowed was off a walk.
Campbellsville (31-16) will close its regular season home schedule Wednesday, April 21 with a doubleheader at 4:30 p.m. Senior Day festivities will follow the first game.
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