Camels stampede over Indians

CAMPBELL, Mo. - The Campbell varsity baseball Camels (5-4) Friday continued a three-game winning streak by defeating the Hayti baseball Indians (0-5) by 15 runs, 16-1.

And the game's excitement was palpable when Camels outfielder Tanner Smart made a first-inning catch worthy of MLB Play of the Day.

Things looked ominous for the Indians from the get-go when its first at bats ended in a double play that brought the Camels to the plate.

Hayti's afternoon continued on a downward spiral for the pitching staff, which walked runners across the plate a number of times Friday, and for its defense, which allowed a number of steals and runners advancing on errors.

The Camels' Sam Bunting hit a stand-up double that woke the spectators and was followed by two Indians pitchers walking-in runs that resulted in a 4-0 Camels lead at the end of the first inning.

Camels third baseman Jared Jennings not only knocked a foul ball onto the adjacent highway, he took one for the team and was awarded with a base early in the game.

Campbell's Jackson Melvin at the plate swung on a knee-high pitch and cracked the ball into the outfield with two runners in scoring position. His stand-up double drove in both runners to add to the Camels' tally.

And the situation became more difficult for the Indians on the mound.

An Indians wild pitch sent the catcher scurrying to the backstop and advanced Melvin from second base to third. The Indians' first relief pitcher walked the next batter, the Camels' Tanner Smart and Campbell placed runners on first and third.

The game progressed with Campbell scoring four more runs in the second and bringing the score to 8-0 Camels.

Top of the third inning brought Campbell's Ben Rowland to the mound and he shut down the Indians quickly.

Fourth inning found more Camels striding across the plate and a meeting on the Indian mound between Hayti head coach Randy Gardner and his reliever.

Gardner pulled the relief pitcher and replaced him with the Indians' third pitcher of the day, who took the ball with bases loaded. He walked Campbell's Rowland and another Camel strode across home plate.

By the bottom of the fourth the Camels ran up the score to 11-1 and the game was all but over.

Campbell's Bunting, who had crossed home at least once during the game, hit a triple that knocked in three runners and that ended the game, 16-1 Camels.

Camels head coach Quenton Stevens, in his first season as Campbell head coach, offered props to his kids and said the team's energy is communicable.

“They want to win, Stevens said. “And they want to get better each game.”

The coach noted offense is emphasized at practice.

“We hit,” he said. “We hit and hit and hit a lot at practice.

“We're trying to instill that mindset of being aggressive at the plate,” Stevens added. “The more baserunners we can get, the better.

How?

“We're trying to hit the ball hard up the middle and score one run at a time,” Stevens said. “Sam Bunting, Jackson Melvin, Ben Rowland, Tanner Smart, Carson Belcher, they all had good games today.”

Bunting said his game is natural.

“Not much to say, really,” a stoic Bunting said. “I just go out there and swing.

“We're going to come out on the field, swing hard and make plays,” he added. “We want to hop on them before they have a chance to get to us.”

Melvin, who walked twice and recorded a fine hit said his pitcher started the afternoon on a positive note and heaped a mountain of praise on the outfield.

“To start off first inning, Ben Rowland came out throwing good,” he said. “Then our center fielder Tanner Smart had a really nice play.”

It was Rowland's first start of his high school pitching career.

Campbell Camels' centerfielder Tanner Smart and pitcher Ben Rowland. Smart's diving catch in the first inning added excitement to Rowland's debut on the high school mound.Photo by Steve Hankins

“It was definitely a thrill,” Rowland said. “I've dreamed of this day for a long time.

“I've pitched before when I was younger,” he added. “But your first day pitching for your high school is a really good day. I was very excited about it and I still am, honestly. It's great knowing you have a team to rely on. We won and it was just a really great day.”

The aforementioned Camels' “MLB Play of the Week” found Smart literally airborne, hurling himself across the field and diving onto the grass to snag a Hayti screamer most players and spectators would have agreed was uncatchable.

“That ball was absolutely scorched into deep left center,” Stevens said. “Tanner was on his horse the entire time.

“When Tanner sets his mind to catch something, he's probably gonna do his best to catch it,” the coach added. “He caught it. That was definitely a Sports Center Top 10 play right there. Tanner has done that a few times before.”

Smart, Friday's centerfielder, said the ball he caught was more than well hit.

“That kid absolutely smoked that ball over my head,” Smart said. “I was looking at my left fielder really putting a great effort to get at that ball, trying to make that catch.

“I didn't really see it happening for him,” Smart continued. “I was a little closer so I just laid out for it. It went right into the pocket. Just all-in-all a great hit that turned into a great catch.”

The Camels Friday win against a young Indians team was to have propelled the team forward into Saturday's Round Robin at Cape Girardeau's Capaha park.

However, the winning streak ended there, when the Camels gave up two games.

The Senath -Hornersville Lions (6-3) defeated Campbell 13-5 and the Camels lost to the Scott City Rams (13-1), 12-2.

Campbell welcomes Portageville (12-5) to the home field at 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 15.

Hayti is on the road and faces Charleston (1-5) at 4:30 Wednesday.