MASON, Ohio — Oklahoma Baptist was too much for the Tigers to match in the NCCAA World Series semifinal, ending Campbellsville's season, 12-6, at Prasco Park.
The slugfest saw 25 hits and 18 runs scored between the two but Oklahoma Baptist put together four crooked-number innings in the third, fifth, sixth and seventh innings to outlast CU.
Campbellsville's season ends with a record of 42-19 – one win away from tying the single-season mark of 43 wins (2007). Oklahoma Baptist advances on to tomorrow's NCCAA World Series championship game and will play the winner of Bethesda and Oakland City. The championship game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Jacob Carrera led the Tigers with three of their 11 hits and
Miguel Solano finished with two. Carrera drove in two runs – one of them a solo home run in the eighth inning.
Richard Ramirez also homered in his final game as a Tiger – which came in the second inning to give CU its only lead, 1-0.
Senior
Jake Pannunzio (8-2) started on the mound for the Tigers but the Bison scored four runs in the third to take a 4-1 lead. The four runs matched the total number of runs Pannunzio had gave up in his previous 54-plus innings this year.
After a one-out walk, Dustyn Cook singled and Hunter Heath brought in both with a triple. Brandon Cuddy and Felipe Gonzalez then followed with an RBI singles to push the Bison ahead, 4-1.
Heath and Gonzalez finished with three hits and five RBI apiece to lead the Bison, while Cook and Ryan Joyce also had three hits.
Oklahoma Baptist plated another run in the fourth and two more in the fifth before Pannunzio's Tiger career came to an end. He finished throwing five innings, giving up nine hits and seven runs. He also struck out and walked four batters apiece.
In the sixth, Campbellsville made a middle-inning push. The Tigers scratched four runs after bringing all nine batters to the plate.
Cody Erickson started the rally with a single, followed with a double by
Cameron Ketchen.
Riley Joyce delivered an RBI single to score Erickson and Carrera drove in Ketchen for the first of his two RBIs with a single.
Mike Castellano and
Casey Scott also delivered RBI singles pulling CU within two runs, 7-5.
But that was as close as the Tigers would get as the Bison plated another three runs in the next half inning.
Dexter Cline started the sixth and was only able to get one out before giving way to
Nick Przybylek who allowed three hits and a run.
Nelson Quark saw action in the seventh and also allowed two hits and two runs before
Ryan Norrix pitched the eighth inning.
Carrera brought the Tigers back to within six runs with his solo shot in the eighth but it was too little too late for CU.
Campbellsville's season ends after winning its seventh Mid-South Conference regular season championship and eighth tournament title.
