CSN wins opener, 13-5

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- A blast off the bat of Marvin Campbell provided an early boost for the College of Southern Nevada offense.

It also proved to be exactly what sophomore right-hander Donn Roach needed.

"That pumped me up. That got me going," he said of Campbell's three-run homer in the second inning. "Once you get a lead, it's a lot easier to pitch."

Roach pitched eight innings and CSN showed plenty of power in a 13-5 victory over Pitt (N.C.) Community College in Saturday's first round of the Junior College World Series.

The Coyotes (50-14) advanced to face Faulkner (Ala.) State at 1 p.m. Monday in the 10-team, double-elimination tournament.

Campbell, a 6-foot-4-inch sophomore from Las Vegas High, launched a towering homer to center to put CSN ahead 3-1.

The Coyotes' Gabe Weidenaar hit one even further, ripping a 450-foot shot over a 25-foot screen in center to make the score 6-3 in the fifth. After a single by Trent Cook, CSN struck again with a two-run homer by Trevor Kirk.

A crowd of 10,339 showed up at Suplizio Field, and most wanted a glimpse of Bryce Harper, the Coyotes' hyped 17-year-old slugger. Instead, Campbell and Weidenaar hit the biggest homers.

"You feel the electricity. You just love the big stage like this. This is why you play baseball," Campbell said. "In a game like this, momentum is really big.

"We know if we get a couple runs up, Donn's going to hold it."

Roach was not about to let the lead slip away, even on a night when he was not his sharpest. Roach threw two wild pitches and allowed 10 hits, and the CSN defense had three errors behind him.

But the former Bishop Gorman star was strong enough to go the distance.

"I could have done a little bit better. I struggled a little bit, but I'm glad I got out of it and got the win," said Roach, who allowed three earned runs and struck out 11 on 127 pitches.

"The first game out here, we're not used to the playing surface and we've never played in front of this many fans. It's just a different atmosphere. You get excited when this many people show up and you're in the World Series."

Harper went 2-for-4 with two singles and a walk. Kirk's single scored Harper in the bottom of the eighth and ended the game because of the eight-run rule.

Kirk, a sophomore from Silverado High, finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs and the right fielder also threw out a runner at home to end the sixth inning. Weidenaar had four of CSN's 14 hits.

"You could feel the tension from both sides early on," Coyotes coach Tim Chambers said. "Marvin's homer was a big one. He needed it, and we needed it."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.