MASON, Ohio — It took a few innings to get the bats going but the Tigers put together a few crooked-number innings to run-rule Trinity Christian, 11-1, in Pool Play of the NCCAA World Series.
Campbellsville now has its fourth 40-win season in program history as the Tigers improve to 40-17. CU will now play Warner University tonight at approximately 8 p.m. ET at Legacy Field – the sister complex of Prasco Park. Game time could run late with the Walk of Champions scheduled for 7:00.
Jacob Carrera led the Tigers with three hits, while
Cody Erickson,
Riley Joyce and
Romello Carbuccia pitched in two hits apiece. Carbuccia led CU with three RBIs and Ramirez drove in two runs. The majority of the RBIs came from the bottom half of the order with 6-7-8-9 driving in nine of the 11 CU runs.
Nick Przybylek (10-2) shined on the mound, tossing his second-straight complete-game and allowing only one earned run on eight hits. He is the first Tiger pitcher since former Mid-South Conference Pitcher of the Year Ian Pick and teammate Eric Mattos ton win 10 games in a season.
Trinity Christian struck first with a run in the first but CU answered in the third with an RBI-double by Erickson.
CU didn't uncork the tie until the sixth when the Tigers scored four runs and took a 5-1 lead. Joyce started the rally with a leadoff walk and pinch-runner
Jarrod Ball came around to score on a Ramirez single. Carrera and
Mike Castellano also delivered RBI singles and CU scored its fourth run on a ground out by
Casey Scott.
In the seventh, the Tigers picked up a pair of sacrifice flies by Ramirez and Carbuccia, pushing CU's lead to 7-1.
The flood gates came open in the eighth. After another leadoff walk, Scott advanced to second on a wild pitch and Erickson reached on an error. Ball walked to load the bases and Ramirez picked up his second hit and RBI with a single up the middle. CU also scored runs on a Carbuccia bases loaded hit-by-pitch and two-run single by Carrera.
Trinity Christian used three pitchers with Brent Kiesel (6-5) getting the majority of the work. He went seven innings and allowed 12 hits and six earned runs to earn the loss.. Blake Timmer and Clay DeHaan both pitched in the eighth combining to allow two hits and four unearned runs.
