March 24, 2011
Site: Buies Creek, N.C. (Taylor Field)
Score: Campbell 9, Northwestern 6
Records: NU (5-13), Campbell (11-12)
Next NU Event: Friday, March 25 -- at Campbell (Buies Creek, N.C.), 5 p.m. CT
BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Northwestern scored twice in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead, but host Campbell rallied back for four runs in the bottom half of the inning to pull out a 9-6 victory Thursday evening in the first game of a three-game series.
The Wildcats jumped out a a 3-0 lead, scoring twice in the second inning and once more in the third. Jake Straub had an RBI single to get NU on the board before Geoff Rowan contributed a sacrifice fly. Northwestern added one more run the following inning against Frank Zier on Chris Kontos' run-scoring single.
Campbell evened the game in the home half of the third as Jack Havey and the Wildcats had trouble recording the third out. With one on and two away, the Camels got a run on a triple, a Northwestern error and a run-scoring single to make it 3-3.
NU reclaimed the lead in the ensuing half-inning as Geoff Rowan started the frame with a double and pinch runner Nick Linne later came home on a wild pitch. The hosts got a solo tally in the sixth to tie the game before going in front in the seventh by getting a run off reliever Matt Gailey.
The Wildcats went down in order in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings before taking advantage of some shoddy defense by Campbell in the top of the ninth to take the lead.
Straub reached on a miscue to start the inning before moving to second on a sac bunt. He was still at second with two outs when Trevor Stevens came through with a clutch run-scoring single to tie the game. Stevens advanced to third on an error on the play and came home when Kyle Ruchim reached on the third error of the inning.
After hurling a scoreless eighth, Ruchim got the first out in the bottom of the ninth before surrendering a single. NU then brought on closer Paul Snieder, but a single and then an error tied the game before Cameron Nelson hit a three-run home to give the Camels the walk-off win.
The teams resume their three-game series at 5 p.m. Central time Friday.
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