Date Posted: 5/22/2008

DeLAND, Fla. – Brandon Scott set the table for Campbell with the first swing of the game, sending a shot over the left-field fence that catapulted the Camels to an 11-3 defeat of Mercer in Thursday’s first game from the 2008 Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship Presented by Progress Energy from Stetson’s Melching Field at Conrad Park.

Scott’s blast started a three-run first inning for the Camels (21-36). All-Freshman performer Ellis Lowe singled and advanced to second on an error. Ryan Hamme made it three straight hits to open the contest as he reached on a bunt single. After Mike Causey’s sacrifice fly plated Lowe and Carlton Floyd walked, Floyd and Hamme successfully pulled off a double steal with Hamme taking home on the play. Hamme stole two bases, half of the Camels’ total, increasing their yearly total to 104 to tie the program’s single-season mark, set in 2001.

The Camels chased Mercer starter David Harden in the third inning, collecting two more runs as four reached based in succession, starting with walks to Mike Causey and Floyd. Stephen Parsons drove home Causey and Zach Johnson plated Floyd with a single.

Scott finished with a four-hit day and added a second home run, his sixth of the season in the seventh inning. He joined Brian Gana as the only two Camels to record multi-homer games this year.

“Yesterday we went back to the hotel and relaxed and cleared our heads,” Scott said. “We came out today and knew it was a new day. I’ve been here once before and we went two and out. It feels good to get one my last year here.”

Campbell starter Justin Lilly kept the Mercer bats at bay for six innings before allowing three to cross in the seventh, his final inning on the slab. Lilly improved to 6-4 while the starter for Mercer (24-33) David Harden could only retire seven batters while allowing five earned runs in seeing his record drop to 5-3.

“We had to come out and play loose and not worry about yesterday,” Lilly said. “We put it in the back of our minds. We pitched good and played good defense. We swung the bat early and put the pressure on them. It’s a big win for the program and we’re staying around another day, so we’re going to enjoy it.”

The Camels advance to play in game eight of the A-Sun Championship, set for 3:00pm against a to-be-determined opponent. This game as well as all A-Sun Championship games can be seen on ASun.TV.

Notes: The Camels ended an eight-game losing streak at the A-Sun Championship…Campbell’s win extends the sixth seeds winning streak against the second seed to four…Mercer’s two losses mark the third time since the field expanded to six teams in 1996 that second seed has gone winless at the A-Sun Championship…The Bears go winless at the A-Sun Championship for just the second time in 12 appearances (1997)…The Camels take over the lead in the all-time series, 22-21…After hitting .523 (12-for-23) against the Camels in their regular-season series, Mercer’s Matt Crawford and Joe Winker hit a combined 1-for-8…One day after losing 14-0, the Camels’ 11-3 win represented a 22-run turnaround, the largest such turnaround in A-Sun Championship history; Twice previously a team registered a 20-run turnaround…In 2001, Troy lost 18-1 to UCF then defeated Stetson 5-2 and in 1987, Stetson lost 18-0 to Georgia Southern then defeated Hardin-Simmons 10-8.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Related Links:
 • Championship Coverage