ELON, NC – Elon used a five-run eighth inning to overcome a 4-2 deficit and take an eventual 7-5 victory over UNC Greensboro in Southern Conference action on Saturday from Latham Park.
After the Phoenix (25-21, 12-8 SoCon) scored on a Spartan wild pitch, Ryan Addison tied the game at four a piece with a RBI infield single. Drew Davis picked up his second hit of the game and gave Elon its first lead of the night on a double to leftfield that scored Addison. The Phoenix got a pair of insurance runs when Ryan Adams sent a two-run home run deep to centerfield, making it 7-4. UNCG picked up a run in the ninth but was unable to get any closer.
UNCG (23-20, 9-8 SoCon) got on the board in the top of the first and took a 1-0 lead as Guy Welsh recorded his team-leading 15th double of the season and scored Tim Carrier, who drew a walk to begin the game. Elon had a chance to score in the second with the bases loaded, but the Spartans, who lead the league with a .967 fielding percentage, turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Carrier gave UNCG the two-run advantage in the fourth when the Irvine, CA product drove a RBI double deep to centerfield. Matt Gaski followed with a RBI single to right and was brought home two batters later on a Ricky Orton single to left, giving UNCG a 4-0 lead.
Elon cut the Spartan lead to two as the Phoenix tallied two runs in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Elon used a pair of RBI groundouts to make it 4-2 in favor of UNCG.
Jesse Lewter (3-2) was credited with the win after giving up just one run on three hits in three innings of relief.
Sophomore Kory Judd (4-3) took the loss after allowing three runs on two hits in one inning of work. Starter Matt Gibbs struck out three and allowed two runs in five innings on the mound.
Guy Welsh went 3-for-4 with a RBI to lead UNCG from the plate for the second game in a row.
UNCG and Elon close out the series with game three on Sunday beginning at 1:30 pm.
AGATE
Score by Innings R H E
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UNC Greensboro...... 100 300 001 - 5 10 1
Elon......................... 000 020 05X - 7 12 1
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Pitchers: UNCG – Gibbs; Gibson (6); Judd (7); Gilliam (8); Martin, G. (8)
Pitchers: Elon – Romanowicz; Lewter (7)
Win-Jesse Lewter (3-2) Loss-Kory Judd (4-3)
- UNCG -
