CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The Campbellsville University baseball team showcased its depth on Friday, sweeping a home doubleheader against the Ohio Christian Trailblazers at HIG Field. The Tigers used an offensive explosion to win 13-2 in game one before relying on clutch pitching to secure a tense 3-2 victory in the concluding contest.
- Campbellsville improved to 20-14 on the season after securing the home doubleheader sweep against the Ohio Christian Trailblazers.
- Tristin Crusenberry picked up his team-leading seventh win of the year in game one, striking out five batters over five innings of two-run ball.
- Antony Gilbert powered a massive eight-run fourth inning in the opener, blasting a three-run home run down the left-field line.
- Shortstop Brady Henke orchestrated the game one offense, finishing 3-for-5 with three runs scored and a season-high four RBIs.
- Joe McBride was exceptional on the mound in game two, earning the victory after holding Ohio Christian to just two hits while striking out six across 5.1 innings.
- Reid Turner proved clutch out of the bullpen in the nightcap, tossing a scoreless seventh inning to lock down his third save of the year.
- The Tigers will next face the Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers in Indiana on Tuesday, April 7th.
GAME ONE: Campbellsville 13, Ohio Christian 2
After three scoreless frames to open the day, Ohio Christian broke the ice in the top of the fourth with a solo home run. The Tiger offense responded immediately and emphatically, sending the Trailblazers reeling with an eight-run outburst in the bottom half of the inning.
Catcher
Nick Hagen tied the game with an RBI single to left field, and
Anthony Esposito followed with an RBI single up the middle to give Campbellsville a lead it would never relinquish.
Brady Henke kept the line moving with a two-run single down the left-field line before
Antony Gilbert delivered the decisive blow with a towering three-run homer that cleared the left-field wall and blew the game wide open at 7-1.
Jaxson Grubbs would later score on a wild pitch to cap the eight-run frame.
The Tigers extended their lead in the fifth on a Grubbs RBI single to left center, and completely put the game out of reach with a four-run surge in the sixth inning to secure the run-rule victory.
Tristin Crusenberry was rock solid on the mound, allowing just two runs on four hits while fanning five to earn the win.
Dalton Brigence and
Taiki Hirosaka kept things scoreless in relief to close out the dominant performance.
GAME TWO: Campbellsville 3, Ohio Christian 2
The latter game proved to be a much tighter contest, defined by dominant starting pitching and early situational hitting.
The Tigers wasted no time getting on the board. In the bottom of the first inning,
Tate Wischnack laced an RBI double down the right-field line to score Gilbert. Moments later,
Thomas Krueger ripped a single to right, bringing Wischnack home and giving Campbellsville a quick 2-0 advantage.
The score remained locked in a pitching duel until the fifth inning, when Gilbert singled to right center, driving in Henke to provide what would become a crucial insurance run for the home team.
Starter
Joe McBride commanded the zone beautifully, carrying a shutout into the sixth inning. He finished his brilliant outing, allowing just two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out six Trailblazers.
Ohio Christian threatened late, capitalizing on a passed ball and an RBI groundout in the sixth to cut the deficit to 3-2. Reliever
Jayden Parsons entered a high-leverage situation and promptly recorded the final two outs of the frame to escape the jam.
Clinging to a one-run lead in the top of the seventh, Campbellsville handed the ball to
Reid Turner. The veteran reliever yielded a one-out single but quickly settled down, inducing a flyout and a game-ending strikeout to secure his third save of the campaign and finalize the sweep.
