MASON, Ohio — The Tigers used the long ball in game four of Pool Play of the NCCAA World Series to take down three-seed Southwestern Christian University, 9-5.
Campbellsville (42-18) is the runner-up in Pool B and will play tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. ET against Pool A champion and top-seeded Oklahoma Baptist University. The Bison swept pool play and are 41-15 overall on the season.
Mario Morales (8-5) started on the hill for the Tigers and shined tossing eight innings and allowing four runs on seven hits. He also struck out nine batters – one shy off his season-high.
Wyatt Weaver pitched in the ninth and allowed a run but also struck out the Eagles final batter to end the game.
The top of the order did the damage for CU, with the one through five hitters going a combined 11-for-22.
Riley Joyce led the Tigers with three hits, while
Cameron Ketchen had a homer and three RBIs and
Romello Carbuccia finished with a home run and two RBI.
For the fourth-straight game, Campbellsville saw itself get behind early on. The Eagles took a 1-0 lead but CU answered with two-spot after Carbuccia delivered his second home of the season – and second of the day - with a 2-run homer to left field.
Southwestern Christian scored a single run in the third but the Tigers rallied for four runs in the bottom half.
Mike Castellano doubled and was moved to third on a sac bunt by
Casey Scott.
Miguel Solano singled up the middle to score a run and
Cody Erickson followed with a single to put runners on first and second.
Cameron Ketchen then launched his fifth home run of the season – a three-run dinger to put CU ahead, 6-2.
CU added two more runs in the fifth. Ketchen walked and
Riley Joyce singled to put runners on first and second. After another sac bunt,
Jacob Carrera brought home both runners with a two-RBI single through the left side.
The Tigers played add-on in the seventh. Joyce led off with a double and his pinch-runner,
Jarrod Ball, came around to score on a wild pitch.
Southwestern Christian scored single runs in each of the final three innings but dug itself too deep of a hole to work out of.
The Eagles were led by A.J. Leingang's 2-for-4 night. Kyle Vail (3-1) picked up the loss for SCU on the mound, tossing seven innings but allowing nine runs on 13 hits. Josh Heathman and Dalton Judkins also saw time on the hill for the Eagles but neither gave up a run.
Southwestern Christian's season ends at 43-14.
