By Matt Present for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. – Golston Gillespie blasted a three-run home run to give the Mountaineers the lead in the first inning, but 24th ranked Campbell was able to pull away in the middle innings and take the series with a 12-6 win on March 11 at Smith Stadium. The series finale on Sunday has been canceled due to inclement weather.
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning, Hayden Cross began a two-out rally with a walk. Austin St. Laurent then reached on an error, setting the stage for Gillespie, who belted his second long ball of the series to put App State (8-5) ahead, 3-2.
Campbell (12-2) responded with three runs in the second inning, and pulled away with a grand slam in the fifth. The Camels also three more runs in the seventh.
The Mountaineers finished the ballgame strong, with impressive bullpen work from Skylar Brooks and Jackson Steensma. Brooks fired two scoreless innings, retiring all five batters he faced. Steensma followed with a scoreless ninth, picking up a strikeout. He has not allowed a run through six outings this season.
After adding a run in the seventh on a sac fly from pinch hitter Braxton Church, App State plated two more runs in the ninth inning. Vasili Kaloudis led off with a pinch-hit double into the right field corner and he scored two batters later on an RBI groundout from Andrew Terrell. Later in the inning, Xavier Moronta singled to right and Luke Drumheller walked, leading to an RBI double from Cross.
Moronta led the Mountaineers with three hits on the afternoon, raising his average to .370 on the season.
With the contest on Sunday canceled, the Mountaineers will return to action next week, when they take on West Virginia in a two-game series Tuesday and Wednesday.
