Morton's Three-Run Homer Sends Campbell To First CAA Title Game With 5-3 Win Over Hofstra
Rob Washburn
Box Score
WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 23, 2026) – Joey Morton’s three-run homer in the sixth proved to be the difference as top-seeded Campbell held off #5 Hofstra, 5-3, on Saturday afternoon to advance to the title game of the CAA Baseball Championship for the first time.
The Camels (41-15) will face the winner of this afternoon’s 3 p.m. elimination contest between Hofstra (22-28) and #2 Northeastern. If Northeastern is victorious, the championship game will be played at 7 p.m. this evening. If the Pride wins, the two teams will get a rematch at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Carlos Lugo went 2-for-4 and scored twice for Campbell before moving from the outfield to the mound to pick up his second save. Starting pitcher Zach Sabers (5-2) earned the win after allowing two runs over 6.1 innings.
Hofstra got two hits apiece from Gabriela Melara, Tyler Cox and Nick Biddle. Pride ace pitcher Carlos Martinez struck out eight and held Campbell to an unearned run over the first five frames before giving up Morton’s big blow in the sixth.
Campbell ended Hofstra’s streak of 19 shutout innings in the tournament by tallying an unearned run in the fourth. Lugo and Jonah Oster opened the frame with back-to-back singles. Lugo would come around to score when the Pride committed an error while attempting to turn a double play.
In the sixth, Jett Music walked and Lugo singled before Morton launched his 21
st homer of the season over the wall in right to extend the Campbell advantage to 4-0.
Hofstra was able to cut the deficit in half in the top of the seventh. Cox and Biddle put together back-to-back base hits. Consecutive wild pitches allowed Cox to score and Biddle to reach third base, where he came in on Danny Corona’s sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
Logan Chapman’s solo shot to right pushed the Camels’ lead back to three in the bottom of the seventh before Hofstra made a final charge in the ninth. Tyler Cox opened the stanza with his seventh homer of the year and Corona’s two-out single put the tying run on base. However, Lugo came in the from the outfield to record a strikeout and end the game.