Lenoir Community College Opens Season With Dramatic Walk-Off Win Over Camp CC
Lenoir Community College Opens Season With Dramatic Walk-Off Win Over Camp CC
Lenoir Community College started its season in thrilling fashion Friday, securing a 5-4 walk-off victory over Camp Community College on a clutch walk-off single from Justin Ellison.
Head coach Gary Smith has long been a believer in utilizing his full roster, and Friday’s win reinforced that philosophy.
"I’m a guy that likes to use a bunch of players—it keeps the whole team engaged and tells my guys I believe in them,"Smith said. "We’ve got a lot of players who can do different things, and I trust them in big moments."
One of those big moments came in the bottom of the ninth. With the game tied at four, Ellison, who had been steady throughout the game, delivered the decisive hit, driving in Mason Meyers for the game-winning run.
"I knew coming up I just had to do my job," Ellison said. "I was excited to get up there and help my team out."
Meyers, who crossed home for the winning run, credited the team’s focus for the victory.
"We came in locked in for this game, and I think it was a total team effort," Meyers said. "I believed in Justin when he came up to bat, and he came through."
The game featured multiple lead changes. Camp CC took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a two-run homer from Elijah Jordan, but Lenoir CC responded in the fourth when Alex Guevara’s double tied the game at 2-2.
Danny Staley’s solo home run in the fifth gave LCC a 3-2 advantage, but Camp CC answered again, tying it at three in the sixth. In the eighth, Cam Thompson’s sacrifice fly put LCC ahead 4-3, only for Camp CC to even the score in the top of the ninth with a sac fly from Josh Holland.
That set the stage for Ellison’s heroics in the bottom of the ninth.
Ryan Ange started on the mound for LCC, allowing two runs on four hits over five innings while striking out three. Danny Morgan threw three scoreless innings in relief before Riley Williams earned the win, giving up one hit and one run in the ninth.
"Ryan definitely went out there and dealt some good stuff," Meyers said. "We had his back defensively."
Ellison led the LCC offense with three hits, while Jordan Brown, Staley, Guevara, Thompson, and Ellison each drove in a run. LCC showed patience at the plate, drawing 11 walks.
Jordan led Camp CC with two RBIs on a home run, while Kaegan Costa, Tavis Spiller, Braden Piersol, Holden Crawford, Thomas Babich, and Berkely Smallwood each collected a hit.
Lenoir Community College will be back in action Tuesday, traveling to Franklin, Va., for a nine-inning matchup against Camp CC.
