LILLINGTON, N.C. (Interstat) — The Campbell Fightin’ Camels erupted for eight runs in the fifth inning, capitalizing on a cascade of Duke miscues to turn a close game into a rout and secure a 13-3 victory over the Blue Devils on Tuesday night at Jim Perry Stadium.

The game, played on March 17, 2026, was projected to be a tight contest, with Interstat’s ELO system giving Duke a 62.7% probability to win and a game simulator predicting a 7-5 Campbell victory. The actual result was far more lopsided, as Campbell’s 13-hit attack and a dominant combined pitching effort overwhelmed the visitors.

The decisive bottom of the fifth inning saw the Fightin’ Camels (10-9) send 12 batters to the plate against four Duke pitchers, transforming a 3-3 tie into a 9-3 lead. The inning was fueled as much by Blue Devils’ mistakes as by Campbell hits. After Joey Morton’s two-run homer gave Campbell a 5-3 lead, the floodgates opened. A wild pitch scored a run, and a critical dropped foul ball error by Duke catcher Runfola extended the inning. Simpson then delivered a two-run single, scoring two unearned runs, and later came home himself on a throwing error by Runfola to cap the explosive frame.

Campbell shortstop Logan Chapman was the offensive catalyst, finishing a perfect 4 for 4 with a double, a solo home run in the eighth inning, an RBI, and four runs scored. His performance continued a hot streak, coming off a series at North Carolina A&T where he had multiple hits in three straight games, including a home run.

The Fightin’ Camels’ pitching staff stifled Duke (15-8) throughout the night. Starter Mason Smith set the tone with three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit and striking out seven. Beau Brailey earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of hitless, scoreless relief, striking out three. Duke managed only five hits total, with Collin Anderson providing the primary highlight—a solo home run in the fifth inning.

Duke’s early opportunities went unfulfilled. They loaded the bases in the first inning but failed to score, and left two more on in the second. They plated single runs in the third and fifth, with the latter coming on Anderson’s homer, and added a final run in the sixth on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded. The Blue Devils’ bullpen, after a strong start from Roman DiGiacomo and Marcello Mastroianni who combined for 2 1/3 hitless innings, unraveled during the fateful fifth.

Andrew Keller, pinch-hitting and later serving as designated hitter, added two RBIs on a pair of doubles for Campbell. Morton’s three RBIs came on his sacrifice fly and the two-run homer.

The loss dropped Duke to 15-8 on the season, while Campbell evened its record at 10-9. Duke opens Atlantic Coast Conference play on the road at Virginia Tech on Friday. Campbell hosts Coastal Carolina on Wednesday before traveling to Towson for a weekend series.