Charleston Holds Off Campbell, 12-11, To Stay Alive In CAA Baseball Championship
Rob Washburn
Box Score
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. (May 23, 2025) – Fourth-seeded Charleston built an eight-run lead and held off a furious comeback from No. 3 Campbell to post a 12-11 victory and stay alive in the CAA Baseball Championship on Thursday evening at the Ballpark at Patriots Point.
In recording its second win of the day, Charleston (37-21) moves on to Saturday’s 1 p.m. contest against the loser of tonight’s winner’s bracket game between No. 1 Northeastern and No. 2 UNCW. Campbell ended its year with a 25-31 record.
Shortstop Ben Venables led Charleson’s 15-hit attack, going 4-for-5 with a triple and three RBI’s. Alex LaCoste was 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI’s and Landon Penfield and Tyler Sorrentino each had two hits and drove in two.
Campbell belted six homers in the game, getting two apiece from Joey Morton, Dalen Thompson and Lukas Schramm. The trio combined to drive in nine of the Fighting Camels’ 11 runs.
For the second straight game, Charleston jumped on top early. Daryian Pendergrass opened the game with a single, advanced to third on an error and a stolen base, and scored on Dylan Johnson’s single up the middle.
The Cougars added two more in the second when Sorrentino smacked a one-out double off the fence in left and LaCoste followed with his third homer of the season to make it 3-0.
Charleston broke the game open by tallying three runs after two were out in the fourth. Venables started the rally with a single and Pendergrass brought him in with a double down the left-field line. Following a walk, Penfield laced a two-run double into the right-field corner that put the Cougars ahead, 6-0.
LaCoste came up big for Charleston again in the fifth. His ground rule double to right plated Johnson and he came home on a single by Venables to push the Cougars’ lead to eight.
Trailing 8-1 in the seventh, Campbell began its rally. Schramm belted a leadoff homer and Morton launched a 452-foot, two-run bomb to right that trimmed the deficit to four. A single and two walks loaded the bases for the Camels and they closed within 8-6 after Darnell Parker was hit by a pitch and Schramm walked to force the runners home.
Charleston rebuilt its cushion in the top of the eighth. Sorrentino laced a two-run single to left and Venables drove in a pair with a triple to right that made it 12-6.
However, the Camels were not done. A solo homer to center by Dalen Thompson followed by Morton’s second long ball in as many innings closed the gap to 12-8 after eight.
The fireworks continued for Campbell in the ninth. Schramm smacked a two-run homer and Thompson’s second homer of the game brought the Camels within 12-11. Charleston was able to hold on when closer Davis Aiken got his third strikeout of the night to pick up his 14
th save.
Before the offensive onslaught began, Charleston got a strong effort from freshman pitcher Hunter Phipps. Making his first career start and having thrown just 10.0 innings all season, the freshman held Campbell to a run on two hits over four innings. Reliever Alex Lyon (10-1) got the win for the Cougars.