The Campbell Camels belted out 15 hits, leading them to the 7-3 win over the Presbyterian College softball team in game one of a Big South doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the PC Softball Complex. It was pitching in the second game with Julia Callicutt leading Campbell with 10 strikeouts as the Camels took the 2-0 win to take the doubleheader sweep.
PC honored seven softball seniors in a ceremony between the first and second game.
PC drops to 22-23 overall and 10-11 in the Big South. Campbell improves to 27-25, 7-15. The two teams face each other in the final game of the regular season Sunday, May 3, at 1 p.m.
After the Blue Hose retired the first two batters in the second inning of game one, Campbell used two back to back singles to put runners in scoring position. Ericka Nesbitt brought them home the next at-bat with a single of her own to give the Camels the early 2-0 lead.
Campbell added two more runs in the top of the third, these coming off a two-RBI double by Chandler Patterson to make it 4-0 in favor of the visitors.
With two outs in the bottom of the third Jill McLean broke up the Campbell no-hitter with a bunt single. An error put Jenna Harris on base but the next batter grounded out to second to end the PC threat.
After a walk and Campbell error put runners in scoring position, Erin Taylor laced a single up the middle to bring home PC's first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. A wild pitch brought home another as the Blue Hose cut the lead to two heading to the fifth.
Patterson made it a three-run game again with a solo home run to left, her 10th of the season, as Campbell built a 5-2 lead in the top of the fifth.
Erin Ruff reached on a Campbell error in the bottom of the fifth, with Kersten Legacki sending her home off a double to right as the Blue Hose cut the margin back to two, 5-3.
The two-run margin was short-lived as Bailey Bjorson hit a two-RBI single up the middle in the top of the seventh, bringing home Patterson and Nesbitt, both of whom had reached on singles, to give Campbell the 7-3 lead.
McLean opened the bottom of the inning with a single, but that would be it as the next three PC batters were retired in order as the Camels took the 7-3 win.
Leading the Blue Hose, which collected five hits in game one, was McLean with two. Katie Brown picked up the loss (4-2), pitching 1.2 innings and giving up two runs off four hits.
Campbell recorded 15 hits, with Patterson pacing the team with four hits and three RBI. Nesbitt posted four hits as well, with two RBI. Bjorson was two-for-four with two RBI. Katie Baker (13-15) threw a complete game for Campbell, striking out six, while surrendering just two earned runs off five hits.
After a quiet couple of innings to start game two, Campbell's Stephanie Jones hit her eighth home run of the season, this one a two-RBI shot to right field that plated Nesbitt, who was on off a single with one out. Neither team would score again as the early 2-0 lead became the final score.
Callicutt pitched well, striking out at least two PC batters in four of the first five innings, including three in a row in a 1-2-3 fifth inning. The lone Blue Hose hit through five came from Kayla Dunlap, her first of the season, in the third inning. That would be the only hit for PC as the home team went down in order the final four innings to pick up the loss to Campbell, 2-0.
Kensley Loudermelk took the loss for PC (12-8), going 7.0 innings, surrendering two runs off six hits. Callicutt moved to 13-8 with the win, going the entire game, giving up just the one hit with 10 Ks.
Nesbitt led Campbell on offense with two hits, with Jones on top in RBI with two.
Campbell 7, Presbyterian College 3 (May 02, 2015 at Clinton, S.C.) (Game 1)
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Campbell............ 022 010 2 - 7 15 4 (26-25, 6-15 BSC)
Presbyterian College 000 210 0 - 3 5 1 (22-22, 10-10 BSC)
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Pitchers: Campbell - BAKER,Katie and BJORSON,Bailey. Presbyterian College - SEIGLER, Sydney;
BROWN, Katie(6); SHERROD, Natasha(7) and ASHLEY, Jordan.
Win-BAKER,Katie(13-15) Loss-BROWN, Katie(4-2) T-2:16 A-226
HR CAMPBELL - PATTERSON,Camise (10).
Weather: sunny, mid 70s
Game: PC05021
Campbell 2, Presbyterian College 0 (May 02, 2015 at Clinton, S.C.) (Game 2)
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Campbell............ 002 000 0 - 2 6 1 (27-25, 7-15 BSC)
Presbyterian College 000 000 0 - 0 1 2 (22-23, 10-11 BSC)
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Pitchers: Campbell - CALLICUTT,Julia and BJORSON,Bailey. Presbyterian College -
LOUDERMELK, Kensley and TAYLOR, Erin.
Win-CALLICUTT,Julia(13-8) Loss-LOUDERMELK, Kensley(12-8) T-1:38 A-226
HR CAMPBELL - JONES,Stephanie (8).
Weather: sunny, mid 70s
Game: PC05022
