DAYTON, Tenn. — For the first time this season, No. 14 Tiger baseball was on the wrong end of a doubleheader sweep on Saturday afternoon at Bryan College. The Tigers fell in game one on a walk off single, 7-6, and could not rally, falling 4-2, in the night cap.
David Montoya led the Tigers with four hits on the day, while Clay Valenzuela Reece went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in game two. Both starting pitchers –
Jhonbert Gonzalez and
Malik Evans – were unable to get past three innings of work and both fell victim to a combined eight walks and seven earned runs.
Campbellsville will now travel back to Athens, Tenn. for a single game vs. No. 4 Tennessee Wesleyan. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
Game one – Bryan 7, Campbellsville 6
Bryan got on the board first after a pair of walks by Evans and an error by Montoya led to a run. But Campbellsville used free bases put together a five-run second inning.
Diego Reynoso walked to lead off the inning and was followed with a double by
Riley Joyce and walk to
Logan Roberts to load the bases.
Matt Valdez was hit by a pitch to score one run and Montoya singled up the middle to score two more. Valdez stole second base and came around to score on an error by the Lions and putting CU ahead 4-0. Sam Salyers fell victim to a second error in the inning and scored Montoya to give the Tigers a commanding 5-1 lead.
The Tigers were only able to sniff out one other run in the eighth inning but Bryan put up a four-spot in the fourth to tie the game at five. After a leadoff single, Montoya misplayed another ground ball and was followed with a CJ Owens three-run home run.
Jared Welander replaced Evans on the mound but a pair of wild pitches scored the game-tying run. Evans went three innings, giving up four hits, five runs (three earned) and struck out two.
Welander calmed down from there on out, tossing five innings, allowing just the one run on two hits and striking out eight.
CU took a 6-5 lead in the eighth after Roberts delivered his second home run of the year but the Lions answered right back, as Owens belted his second long-ball and fifth of the season to tie the game once again.
Dillon Day (1-1) replaced Welander to start the ninth inning but Alec Turner singled and stole second base to get into scoring position. After an intentional walk to Trevor Behrent to put the double play in order, Lake Burris singled in the game-winner.
Game two – Bryan 4, Campbellsville 2
It looked like déjà vu all over again, as Gonzalez (1-1) couldn't get out of the third inning. He surrendered five walks in two-plus innings of work and allowed four earned runs – two of those a two-run home run to CJ Owens in the second inning – his third of the day.
Campbellsville answered right back in the third with a pair of runs to tie the game. Montoya got the rally going with a one-out double and Valenzuela-Reece turned on a first-pitch fastball to pelt his second home run of the year.
But, like in game one, when Campbellsville answered the call, Bryan would one-up the Tigers. Gonzalez allowed four-straight walks and CU committed its fourth error of the doubleheader to score one run.
Ray Fernandez replaced Gonzalez on the hill but Owens gave the Lions a 4-2 lead with a sac fly – his seventh RBI of the day.
In the final three innings, the Tigers had the game-tying run at the plate three times but were unable to capitalize.
