BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Jake Pannunzio pitched four innings out of the bullpen and Cody Erickson had three extra base hits, with one being a solo home run, to lead Campbellsville into the Mid-South Conference tournament final with a 5-3 win over Lindsey Wilson College.  

Box Score

The top of the order did the damage for Campbellsville (35-15). The first five hitters in the order went a combined 11-for-18 and drove in four of the five runs to lead the Tigers in the championship game of the winner's bracket.

Erickson went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a solo shot in the seventh inning giving the Tigers another insurance run. Nestor Linares, Casey Scott and Riley Joyce all went 2-for-4 while, Cameron Ketchen had a single.

Nick Morehead started on the hill and went 5.1 innings allowing nine hits and three runs while striking out two. He was lifted in the sixth by Pannunzio (6-1) with runners on first and second with one out and the senior from Sunrise Beach, Australia worked the Tigers out of the jam. He finished tossing 3.2 innings and allowed just two base runners – a single and a walk – while striking out three to pick up the win.

Both offenses started on fire in the first two innings, combining for 13 hits and six runs. The Tigers struck first against Lindsey Wilson (36-21) starter Tyler Russell. Linares led off with a double and Scott came through clutch with a single on a 1-2 count scoring the games first run. After an out, Erickson battled through an eight-pitch at-bat to earn his first double plating the Tigers second run in the first.

Lindsey Wilson answered with the same sequence in the second. A leadoff single by Jan Carlos Ortiz came around to score on a double by Austin Atwell. The Blue Raiders tied it up with another double by Victor Nazatio and took a brief lead, 3-2, with an RBI single by Dustin Woody.

But Riley Joyce helped his battery mate by throwing Caleb Ratzman out at second base on an attempted steal to get out of the second.  

Morehead calmed down in the final three-plus innings on the hill allowing only one hit and zero runs.

The lead did not not stay long for Lindsey Wilson, as Scott picked up his second RBI with a single to center field.

Lindsey Wilson's Tyler Russell calmed down as well, allowing just two hits in the next three innings before being lifted for Sam Ross in the sixth. CU touched up Ross (2-1) and it started with a leadoff walk to Richard Ramirez. Romello Carbuccia delivered a one-out double scoring pinch-runner Jacob Carrera from first for what ended up being the game-winner.

Erickson's bomb in the seventh gave CU and Pannunzio a little more breathing room.

The Tigers will now play the winner of the tournament's fifth game that is scheduled for tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET. CU, which now has to be beaten twice, will play the winner of Lindsey Wilson or St. Catharine/Cumberland University. The Patriots and Phoenix are scheduled for an elimination game at 4 p.m. at Bowling Green Ball Park.

A full preview for tomorrow's championship game will be available Sunday morning.