Cameron’s heroics save day for RedWolves

FLORENCE — After three straight home losses, the Florence RedWolves looked to give the fans at Legion Field a long overdue victory before they took their Fourth of July break when Wilmington came to town.

Bruce Cameron single-handedly made sure the fans went home happy. The Florence rightfielder made two game-saving catches in the field and scored the only run of the game as the RedWolves held on for a 1-0 win over the Sharks Thursday night.

The RedWolves are now 13-3 at home this season.

“This was a big game tonight,” Cameron said. “We wanted to do this for the fans and get a much-needed win.”

For six innings neither the Sharks nor the RedWolves could get anything going offensively. Florence’s Rob Kumbatovic and Wilmington’s Kyle Barry quieted any resistance with relative ease.

Kumbatovic didn’t factor in the decision for Florence (21-9 overall, 1-2 second half), blanking the Sharks on three hits in six innings. The right-hander walked one hitter and fanned four.

Florence, however, finally broke the scoreless deadlock in the seventh inning with some two-out magic. With Cameron standing at second base, Walczak bounced a single up the middle off Barry for an RBI single to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Barry (0-1) allowed one earned run on seven hits in 7 2/3 innings en route to the loss for Wilmington (14-16, 0-2). The right-hander fanned three batters and walked two.

Wilmington had a chance to wrestle the lead away from Florence off the RedWolves’ bullpen in the eighth. A hit batsman, a walk and a single off Kent Altman loaded the bases with one out.

Altman settled down, though, striking out Bobby Leeper for the second out of the inning. But the Coastal Carolina standout needed Cameron’s second diving catch of the game off a blooper from Mikel Alvarez to end the Sharks’ threat with no runs allowed.

“The ball just floated for awhile, so I knew I had a chance,” said Cameron, who had two hits. “Nothing went through my mind, I just wanted to get my pitcher an out and get us out of (the inning).”

“His catch was unbelievable,” Florence coach Wes Davis said of Cameron’s play. “In every game, there are one or two plays can save a game and Bruce made both of them.

“He had a great night.”

No one was more relieved after Cameron’s web gem than Altman. Altman (3-0) tossed two innings of relief to earn the win, striking out two hitters without a walk.

“It was a do-or-die play for us,” he said. “If that ball drops, (the Sharks) score at least two, possibly three runs.

“That was a great catch.”

Jeremy Berg struck out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.

Florence and Wilmington play again Saturday night at 7 at American Legion Field.