Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Many people will argue offense wins games but defense and pitching wins championships. Well, this past weekend Tiger baseball wasn't playing for any championship, but it looked like it with their three-game sweep of Saint Francis (Ind.).

Campbellsville pitchers allowed only two runs in 33 innings and the offense put up an impressive 43 runs in the three games. CU blanked the Cougars 9-0, 6-0 on Saturday and 28-2 in the finale late Sunday night.

Coach Beauford Sanders threw 11 pitchers who held Saint Francis to only 11 hits and a batting average on the weekend of .134. The staff also struck out 33 batters in the three games for an average of 11 Ks per game. The Tigers' staff ranks No. 7 in the NAIA with an opponent batting average of .189.

Carlos Torres led the Tigers at the plate, going 5-for-7 and driving in eight runs. He recorded a two singles, a double and triple along with a career-high six RBI in the final game.

Gentry Kinsella also shined at the plate, going 6-for-7 and had an on-base percentage of .875.


Campbellsville 9, Saint Francis 0 – Feb. 28 - Game 1

The Tigers exploded in the middle innings to put up nine runs and 11 hits. Chris Allen led CU at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.

Ricky McColloch was perfect at the plate in three at-bats. The senior drove in two runs, which tied for the team high with Miguel Solano-Espinoza.

Senior captain Matt Robertson started on the hill and went 3.2 innings allowing two hits. He struck out five batters but fell victim to four walks. Mario Morales came from the bullpen and completed the fourth inning for the Tigers with a strikeout. Chris Tuma faced one batter above the minimum in the final three innings. He had only one blemish in his three innings, walking one batter and striking out four.

Kinsella, Richard Ramirez and Casey Scott all recorded one hit in the first game.


Campbellsville 6, Saint Francis 0 – Feb. 28 – Game 2

Indalecio Romo pitched a gem in game two of the doubleheader on Saturday. Romo allowed only two Cougar hits in five innings and struck out seven batters. In his first three games, he ranks No. 12 in the NAIA with an average of 13.06 batters struck out per nine innings.

The offense didn't wait until the middle innings to get started like it did in game one. CU scored in all but one inning, plating single runs in the first, second, fifth and sixth innings. The Tigers pushed two runs across in the third inning.

Kinsella picked up two hits to lead CU. Torres, McColloch, Brandon Christiansen and Jaime Valle all recorded one hit apiece. Torres led the Tigers with two RBI.

Sophomore lefty Dexter Cline and newcomer Casey Congleton each saw one inning on the mound in the sixth and seventh innings. The duo sat the Cougars down in order with Cline striking out one batter.

 

Campbellsville 28, Saint Francis 2 – March 1 – Game 3

Game three saw the CU hitters steal the show. Campbellsville stormed out of the gates with nine runs in the first two innings and put up crooked numbers again in the fifth, eighth and ninth innings.

It was the most runs scored in the DakStats era (since 2004) and the first time the Tigers have scored 20-plus runs since March 10, 2009, when they played Indiana University Southeast. CU also beat Trevecca Nazarene University 21-0 on May 6, 2008.

Eight Tigers recorded multiple hits with Kinsella and Torres leading the way with four each. Casey Scott, Alex Kline, Jeremy Rosenthal, Garrett Everhart, Shane Woodson and Miguel Solano-Espinoza each recorded two hits apiece.

The staff combined for nine innings of seven-hit baseball. Nick Morehead started on the mound going three innings. Jake Pannunzio saw two innings on the hill, striking out four of six batters faced. Wesley Vancil struck out two batters in his one inning, Mario Morales picked up a strikeout, Logan Truex recorded two Ks and Alex Kline struck out the side in one inning apiece. The big number, though, was that the six pitchers did not allow a walk in the 36 batters faced and struck out 15 in the series finale.

Campbellsville will now play another neutral site game on Thursday, March 5 against Culver-Stockton (Mo.). The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. EST start at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn.