NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The Campbellsville Tigers traveled to New Albany, Indiana, to take on the Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers in a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon. In game one of the day, the Tigers took down the Grenadiers 11-4. In game two, the Tigers continued their success with a 7-4 win to complete the doubleheader.
GAME ONE: Campbellsville 11, IU Southeast 4
Jorge Gonzalez and Chad McCann each earned hits to begin the first inning, but the Tigers couldn't make anything of it, leaving both on base. The Grenadiers sent a double to left field, scoring the first run of the ball game and taking an early 1-0 lead over the Tigers.
With runners in scoring position and two outs, Garret Maloney worked his way back in the count to get the strikeout and move to the fourth inning without the Grenadiers adding to their side of the scoreboard. In the top of the fourth, Henry Wright reached base via walk and advanced to third with the help of Kale Seitz. Wright was sent across the plate to even the score on Trent Buchanan's hit while advancing Seitz into scoring position. The Tigers continued their success, scoring Seitz on a sacrifice fly from Jonah Bachiu to take the lead before the inning concluded.
The Tigers continued their momentum with a three-up, three-down inning to move into the fifth. Buchanan and Bachiu each earned a hit of their own to reach base to begin the top of the sixth. With two runners in scoring position, Amayas Lamar sent one over the left field fencing, earning a three-run homerun and extending the Tigers' lead to 5-1. The Grenadiers tried to cut into the four-run lead the Tigers held and hit a homerun of their own but couldn't get any others across the plate.
To begin the top of the seventh inning, McCann sent a pitch up the middle to reach base. Mael Zan followed McCann's lead, earning a hit of his own with a double to left-center. McCann added another run to the scoreboard on an RBI from Wright. A wild pitch found Zan scoring, extending the Tigers' lead to five runs over the Grenadiers, 7-2.
Ryan McFarland relieved Maloney on the mound to begin the seventh inning. With a runner on second for the Grenadiers, a good read from McFarland and Bachiu sent the runner back to the dugout with a pickoff.
At the top of the eighth inning, Buchanan doubled to left-center to get things started for the Tigers. Bachiu reached base via walk, and Lamar singled through the left side to leave the bases loaded. J. Gonzalez reached base on a fielder's choice, scoring Buchanan's pinch runner Yosuke Fujie. With an error from the infield, McCann reached base and sent Lamar and Bachiu across the plate. A sacrifice fly from Wright sent another Tiger across the plate. Before the Grenadiers could end the half inning, the Tigers extended their lead to 11-2.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, the Grenadiers sent another pitch over the right field fence for a two-run homerun, trying to cut into the Tigers' lead, 11-4. At the end of the ninth inning, the score remained the same. The Tigers won over the Grenadiers, 11-4.
The Tigers led with an OPS of .917, compared to the Grenadiers' .792. The Tigers also led with RBIs (8-4), doubles (4-3), and hits (13-9). On the pitching side, Maloney earned eight strikeouts on 93 pitches, and McFarland earned three strikeouts on 42 pitches.
GAME TWO: Campbellsville 7, IU Southeast 4
To begin game two of the day, Lamar singled to left field and set the tone for the inning. McCann followed with a single of his own, advancing himself and Lamar into scoring position. Lamar was sent across the plate with the help of Zan. Wright earned a single of his own, moving McCann to third. Bret Bowers sent a pitch down the left field line, good enough for a double and scoring McCann and Wright. Bowers added another run to the Tigers' side of the scoreboard with a wild pitch and a double from Seitz. Before the end of the first inning, the Tigers sent four runs across the plate to take an early lead over the Grenadiers.
The Grenadiers and the Tigers struggled to make anything happen until the third inning. In the bottom of the third, the Grenadiers sent a pitch over the right-center fence with a runner on base, earning their first two runs of the ball game.
The Grenadiers added one more run to their side of the scoreboard before the end of the fourth inning.
At the top of the fifth, McCann singled to left field and sent Lamar across the plate. With the bases loaded and two outs, Seitz singled to left field to score McCann and J. Gonzalez to give the Tigers a 7-3 lead over the Grenadiers. Answering back, the Grenadiers scored one more run before the conclusion of the inning.
At the end of the game, the score remained in favor of the Tigers, 7-4.
Lamar, McCann, and Seitz led the Tigers with two hits each. Campbellsville led in many categories: hits (9-4), RBIs (7-4), and strikeouts (9-8). On the pitching side, Tristin Crusenberry led with five strikeouts, Zane Morrison with two, and PJ Ledesma with one.
Campbellsville will be back in action on Tuesday, February 20th, for their home opener. The Tigers will take on Brescia University in Campbellsville, Kentucky. The game is set to begin at 2 p.m. ET.
