KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Campbellsville Tigers kicked off the NCCAA World Series opening round on Saturday. They faced off against the Jessup University Warriors. It was a rough day for the Tigers, as they lost the game 15-2.
In the top of the first inning, Lorenzo Gonzalez got the Tigers' offense going with a leadoff single up the middle. Trent Buchanan followed up with a single through the left side, bringing Zane Skansi to the plate. Skansi helped the Tigers draw first blood as he smacked a double into the right-center field gap, plating Gonzalez and Buchanan. The next three Tigers were sat down in order, leaving Skansi stranded.
Taking the mound for the Tigers in the bottom of the first inning was Tristin Crusenberry, making his 13th start of the season. The righty retired the first two batters of the inning, and then walked the third man. The Warriors threatened after an errant pickoff attempt, which gave them a runner in scoring position, though Crusenberry was able to leave the runner stranded with a flyout.
The Tigers' offense was struck out in order in the top of the second inning, bringing Crusenberry back to the mound for the bottom of the frame. The righty stayed in his groove and retired the side in order while picking up a strikeout.
The Tigers' offense was sat down in order again in the top of the third inning, sending Crusenberry back out for the bottom half. The righty surrendered a leadoff walk, and then a single to left field and a bunt single loaded the bases with no outs. The next batter singled to right-center field, plating the runner at third. The runner on second base tried to score on the hit, but Henry Wright and Jaxson Grubbs combined for a perfect relay to hose the runner at the plate for the first out. The next batter ripped a triple down the right field line that gave the Warriors the lead, and then an error on a grounder to third base put runners at the corners. The runner on first base stole second to take away the double play, which proved crucial, as the next batter grounded out to third base. A wild pitch plated the runner from third base and gave the Warriors the lead, and then another ground ball error by the third baseman scored the fifth run of the inning. The runner on first base stole second, and then a single down the right field line capped off the six-run inning for the Warriors.
The Tigers still couldn't get anything going on offense in the top of the fourth inning, which brought Crusenberry back to the mound for the bottom of the frame. The righty struck out the leadoff man, and then a triple and an RBI-double forced the Tigers to go to their bullpen. Jackson Dollar took over on the mound, making his 17th appearance of the season. Needing to stop the bleeding, the righty picked up the second out with a flyout, plunked the next man, but then escaped the jam with a groundout.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Tigers were retired in order for the fourth straight inning, bringing Dollar back to the mound for the bottom half of the frame. The righty surrendered a leadoff double, and then the Warriors put runners at the corners with a bunt single. Three singles in a row allowed the Warriors to plate three more runs, and then a sac-fly to center field plated a fourth. The Warriors cashed in their fifth run of the inning with another single, forcing the Tigers to dig deeper into their bullpen. With a runner on first base and one out, Connor Martin took over on the mound, making his sixth appearance of the season for the Tigers. After an errant pickoff attempt, the runner advanced to second base, and Martin picked up the second out with a grounder to shortstop, which moved the runner to third. The righty plunked the next batter, and then as the runner on first stole second, the Warriors brought home another run on the throw to second base. Though he walked the next batter, Martin was able to limit the damage with a strikeout to end the inning.
After another quiet inning from the Tigers' offense, Joustin Torres took over on the mound in the bottom of the sixth inning, making his fifth appearance of the season for the Tigers. The lefty retired the leadoff man, and then a walk and two wild pitches allowed the runner to advance to third base. Torres locked back in with a strikeout, then a single and a double plated two more runs for the Warriors before the inning's end.
The Tigers' offense struck out in order to end the game in a mercy-rule loss.
The Tigers lost the game with two runs on three hits and five errors, while the Warriors won with 15 runs on 15 hits and no errors.
The Tigers will have the day off tomorrow but will be back in action on Monday, May 19th, in an elimination game against the Judson Eagles. The game will begin at 12 p.m. ET.
