HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Overcasts and rain in the forecast as the Tigers looked to bounce back after two season-opener losses the day before. In game one, the Tigers were set to take on the Spartans of Missouri Baptist, but fielding errors riddled Campbellsville late in the eighth inning, falling 3-2. In game two, the Tigers looked for redemption against William Carey, coming out on top with a 7-4 victory.
GAME ONE: Campbellsville 2, Missouri Baptist 3
The start offensively for Campbellsville was impressive.
Amayas Lamar stepped into the box and started the Tigers off with their first hit of the day. Lamar then scored with an RBI by Chad Mccan. The Tigers' defense came up big time in the bottom of the first inning, forcing the Spartans to go three up, three down, ending the Spartan's hot-hitting streak early in the ball game.
The second inning saw another run across the plate;
Henry Wright reached base. Wright was aggressive on the base path, stealing second base and later scoring. The Tigers took the early lead going into the bottom of the third inning but hitting allowed the Spartans to tie the game up at 2-2.
The game remained stagnant through six innings, with both teams exchanging hits. At the bottom of the eighth inning, a costly base running error allowed Missouri Baptist to get off the field and end the game. The Spartans ended victorious over the Tigers, 3-2.
GAME TWO: Campbellsville 7, William Carey 4
Jorge Gonzalez was hot to start the game for the Tigers, establishing the first of four hits in the first inning of this ball game.
Zane Morrison stood on the hill for the Tigers to begin the day. Morrison collected his first strikeout of the contest within the first three batters. However, at the bottom of the second inning, the Crusaders gained and brought a run-through. After two innings, the score sat at 2-1 in favor of the Tigers.
Campbellsville tacked on another two runs to their lead in the next inning. Willam Carey then looked to answer in the bottom of the third inning but could only amount to two runs. In Campbellsville's time in the batter's box, they worked at the plate to gain another run. McCann took a pitch over the fence, extending the Tigers' lead 5-3.
The Tigers jumped out again in the top of the fifth inning. After suffering an out, the Tigers composed two runs to extend the lead. Lamar singled to right field to place himself on the base. J. Gonzalez collected his second RBI as he traded places with Lamar.
PJ Ledesma had an excellent relief performance, pitching three innings to tally seven strikeouts and zero hits.
The Tigers gained redemption over the Crusaders, getting their first win of the season 7-4. Campbellsville will be back on the road in Waleska, Georgia, on February 10th to take on Indiana University Southeast. The game is set to begin at 11 a.m. ET.
