High school baseball: Melvin, Camels blast Mules in Classic finale

BERNIE — Swift. And dramatic.

Those words perfectly describe the Campbell High School baseball team’s turnaround — especially after defeating host Bernie 11-5 in the Bernie Fall Classic championship game Tuesday.

Sophomore pitcher Melvin allowed four earned runs on eight hits in a 94-pitch, 6 1/3- inning performance — keeping a stout Bernie lineup at bay until the Mules scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to pretty up the scoreboard.

Campbell sophomore pitcher Jackson Melvin deals toward home during the Bernie Fall Classic Tournament championship game dated Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, in Bernie. Melvin guided the Camels to an 11-5 victory. (Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

“Jackson was a bulldog all the way through for us,” Campbell head coach Quinton Stevens said.

“Everything was working,” Melvin said. “My fastball, my slider. It felt good from start to finish, and I was able to get the job done.”

Melvin also carried the offensive load, going 4-for-5 with four RBI and one run scored.

Campbell's Jackson Melvin tags out a runner trying to score on a passed ball during the middle innings of the Bernie Fall Classic baseball tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

Campbell won its final seven games of the season, which also included two shutout wins over Senath-Hornersville (one in the Bernie Tournament semifinals), a 10-run win over Neelyville and 12-5 conquest over Holcomb.

The Campbell school district hired Stevens, a Bernie graduate, last summer. Stevens was most recently an assistant for the defending Class 3 District 2 champion Scott City squad.

Stevens’ pedigree includes college pitching experience, playing for Northwest Florida State, Three Rivers College and the University of Tennessee-Martin.

Campbell's Sam Bunting was the lone Camel to produce extra-base hits during an 11-5 victory over Bernie in the Fall Classic on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

“These kids have worked extremely hard since Day One of practice,” Stevens said. “These kids have gone straight through a wall.”

Stevens said it’s all about the Camels attempting to set a precedent for the program.

Campbell was aggressive at the plate, spraying 17 hits around the yard. And they took advantage of a rare poor game defensively for Bernie (the Mules committed five errors).

Campbell head coach Quinton Stevens talks to the Camel players during a break between innings. Stevens has engineered a dramatic turnaround for the Campbell baseball program in just a couple short months. (Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

Jared Jennings and Logan Townsend both scored on a Melvin two-run single as part of a five-run second inning, and the Camels were suddenly ahead 6-0.

James Stanfield smacked a two-run home run over the high fence in left field during the bottom of the fourth, with Campbell ahead 7-2.

Campbell kept the pressure on with two runs each in the fifth and seventh innings, and the game ended on Camden Stoner’s groundout to Carson Belcher as Jennings mopped up for Melvin.

Campbell's Logan Townsend, who also has been on the Camel cross country team this fall, races toward third base during the Bernie Fall Classic championship game dated Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (Photo by Eric Viccaro)

Samuel Bunting produced both of Camels’ extra-base hits (two doubles) and he scored three times. Ben Rowland went 3-for-5. And Jennings plated two runs as part of the offensive brouhaha.

Third-Place Game

BERNIE — Alexis Andrade went 2-for-3 and Pookie Garza scored two runs as Senath-Hornersville capped the season with an 8-5 win over Bloomfield in the third-place game.

Garza also was the winning pitcher of record for the Lions (13-5), giving up five earned runs on 10 hits over 6-1/3 innings. Senath-Hornersville pushed across three runs in the bottom of the sixth for the victory.

INFORMATION

BASEBALL

Bernie Tournament Scores

Monday, Oct. 2 Semifinals

Campbell 3, Senath-Hornersville 0

Bernie 8, Bloomfield 4

Tuesday, Oct. 3

Championship

Campbell 11, Bernie 5

Records: Campbell, 12-4; Bernie, 16-5

Third-Place Game

Senath-Hornersville 8, Bloomfield 5

Records: Senath-Hornersville 13-5; Bloomfield, 8-8

LINESCORE

Campbell 11, Bernie 5

Campbell 150 120 2 — 11 17 0

Bernie 000 200 3 — 5 9 5

WP: Jackson Melvin, C; LP: Jayden Robinett, B; HR: James Stanfield, B; 2B: Samuel Bunting (2), C