HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Campbellsville University baseball team opened the 2026 campaign with a split on Friday, securing a dramatic 5-4 walk-off victory over Columbia International University before falling 6-0 to host #11 William Carey University.
- Campbellsville (1-1) opened the season with a split, defeating Columbia International 5-4 in game one before dropping the nightcap 6-0 to William Carey.
- Joaquin Hernandez powered the offense in the opener, going 2-for-2 with a two-run home run and two RBIs.
- Kleysen Gabruck delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure the walk-off victory against CIU.
- Southpaw Evan Moore earned his first win of the season in relief, tossing two hitless innings to close out game one.
- The Tigers' offense was stifled in game two, managing just two hits against the William Carey pitching staff.
- Brody Forno took the loss in the nightcap, surrendering five earned runs over four innings of work.
- The Tigers return to action in Hattiesburg tomorrow, Saturday, February 7th, for another doubleheader. They will face Columbia International at 12 p.m. ET, followed by a rematch with William Carey at 3:30 p.m. ET.
GAME ONE: Campbellsville 5, Columbia International 4
The Tigers started the season in dramatic fashion, needing a seventh-inning rally to put away CIU.
Campbellsville wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning. After walks to
Brady Henke and
Antony Gilbert, designated hitter
Jason Franzel laced a single to left field, plating Henke for the season's first run.
The lead expanded in the second inning when
Joaquin Hernandez launched a two-run home run to left field, scoring pinch-runner
Trey Proctor and pushing the advantage to 3-0.
CIU responded in the middle innings, capitalizing on a Campbellsville error in the third to score an unearned run, followed by a two-run fourth inning that knotted the game at 3-3.
The Tigers briefly reclaimed the lead in the fifth. Gilbert doubled to center field and was promptly driven home by another Franzel RBI single, making it 4-3. However, CIU refused to go quietly, tying the game again in the sixth on an RBI single down the left-field line.
With the score deadlocked at 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers manufactured the winning run. Henke drew a leadoff walk and stole second base. After Franzel walked, wild pitches allowed Proctor (running for Henke) to advance to third. Gabruck then stepped to the plate and lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Proctor to tag up and score the game-winning run.
Evan Moore (1-0) was dominant out of the bullpen, pitching the final two innings without allowing a hit or an earned run to secure the victory. Starter Matt Thompson went 3.0 innings, allowing one earned run, while
Maddux Mateychuk provided two innings of relief.
GAME TWO: William Carey 6, Campbellsville 0
The momentum from the opener did not carry over into the nightcap, as the Tigers ran into a buzzsaw against the host team, #11 William Carey.
The Crusaders jumped on starter
Brody Forno early, plating two runs in the first inning on a pair of bases-loaded walks. They added two more in the second inning on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly, extending the deficit to 4-0.
Campbellsville's offense struggled to find a rhythm against William Carey starter E. Thompson, who tossed four hitless innings. The Tigers were held to just two hits in the contest—a single by Hernandez and a pinch-hit single by
Nick Hagen.
Defensive miscues plagued the Tigers, as they committed three errors, which contributed to the Crusaders' extended rallies, including a two-run fifth inning that finalized the score at 6-0.
Forno (0-1) was charged with the loss, allowing five earned runs on four hits while striking out two over 4.0 innings.
Jackson Dollar and
Reid Sturn finished the game out of the bullpen, with Sturn tossing a scoreless inning.
