BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Parker Loutensock tossed 8-2/3 innings in the Tigers', 9-7, win over Bellevue University to keep Campbellsville in the Bowling Green Bracket of the NAIA Baseball Opening Round at Bowling Green Ballpark on Tuesday evening.
 
The Tigers (38-16) were led by Ty Housden and Bryson Wallet with three hits apiece, where Wallet drove in two runs. Kory Longaker was 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs for the Bruins (38-23).
 
Campbellsville came into the second day of the tournament swinging the bats well with three two-out runs in the first inning. After a one-out single from Tyson Solis, he was able to move all the third base just as the Tigers got their second out. Marco Murillo drove in the first run of the day with a single to right-center field and the with the line still rolling two batters later, David Montoya singled back up the middle to grab a 2-0 lead.
 
Bryson Wallet notched the final run-scoring hit with a single to right field, where Housden slid just by the tag at home plate to make it 3-0.
 
Bellevue answered with a run, where back-to-back hits to start the inning scored Longaker after an RBI double from Riley Baasch, cut the Bruin deficit to 3-1.
 
The two teams traded runs in back-to-back half innings. A groundball out from Matt Evans allowed a run to come home in the bottom of the third inning. Then in the in the top of the fourth inning, Matthew Valdez singled out to centerfield to score Wallet and handed the Tigers a 4-2 edge, but the inning ended after Valdez was tagged out trying to move up to second base.
 
Campbellsville continued to pull away in the fifth inning with two mores runs to grab a 6-2 lead. The first Tiger run came off a RBI single from Housden to score Logan Roberts from second base and Murillo was able to go from first to third on the play. Two pitches later, David Montoya hit a deep fly ball to left field allowing Murillo to tag up and score on the play.
 
The Bruins did not let the game get too far out of reach with back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the fifth inning to put runners on the corner with no outs. Loutensock picked off the base runner at first and then struck out a batter for the first two outs, but Evans drove in another run with a two-out single and made it a 6-3 contest after five complete innings.
 
In the sixth inning, the Tigers grabbed a 7-3 edge after Tyler Deason reached on an error and later came around to score on a single from Solis. Campbellsville could not increase its lead as it left two runners on base to end the inning.
 
Errors hurt Bellevue as the Tigers scored for the fourth-straight inning to go ahead of the Bruins, 8-3, following an error from Longaker at shortstop allowing Deason to reach first base and Montoya to scamper home from third base.
 
Bellevue pulled within four runs once again after a sacrifice fly brought home another run for the Bruins. The Tigers also picked another insurance run, which would come in key with Bellevue making the game interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning.
 
With Campbellsville leading 9-4, Loutensock looked to toss the Tigers first complete game this season, but the Bruins scored three runs – highlighted by a two-run home run from Longaker – to make it 9-7. Marco Murillo came into earn the save and seal the victory for the Tigers and stay alive in the NAIA Opening Round.
 
Loutensock (5-0) threw 8-2/3 innings allowing seven runs – six earned – on 10 hits, while striking out seven batters, just missing a complete game. Murillo notched a strikeout against his only batter faced to pick up his second save.
 
Stephen Knapp (5-3) suffered the loss after allowing six runs and 10 hits in five innings.
 
Campbellsville is in its third-straight elimination game tonight at 7 p.m. CT against top-seeded University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma with the winner moving on to face Reinhardt University in the championship on Wednesday.

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