Box Score ELON, N.C. – Jake Kusz (Durham, N.C./Riverside) hit his sixth home run of the season as UNCG Baseball scored eight runs but was unable to recover from an early deficit. The Spartans fell 14-8 to the Elon Phoenix at Latham Park. UNCG falls to 28-11 on the season, while the Phoenix improves to 16-22.
“When you go on the road, and you get one shot to play, you have to acclimate quickly.” Head coach Link Jarrett said, “We didn't get out of the gates well. We didn't pitch it really well tonight. It was good to see (Drew) Goodman get in there at the end and have a good inning. When you get down like we were early, its tough to be as aggressive as we want to be offensively. After they brought their closer in, and Devin Ruiz went up and had a key at bat. For him to sit in the dugout for four hours or so, then to come in and deliver was big. Our guys fought, we only struck out three times on the day, and we battled but we put ourselves in such a hole early it was difficult to come back from.”
The Spartans connected for ten hits in the contest. L.J. Kalawaia (Wailuku, Hawai'i/Ohlone College) and Collin Woody (Tampa, Fla./College of Central Florida) led the way with two hits, and two RBI each. Woody scored two runs with Kalawaia adding one.
Ben Spitznagel (Cincinnati, Ohio/Wabash Valley CC) and Andrew Moritz (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) each added a hit with Spitznagel scoring two runs, and Moritz scoring once. With Moritz's hit, he extends his hitting streak to a team-high 23 games.
Dillon Stewart (Dunn, N.C./Brunswick CC), and Cesar Trejo (Greensboro, N.C./Ragsdale) each added a hit. Jake Kusz (Durham, N.C./Riverside) hit his sixth home run of the season, with Devin Ruiz (Pennsauken, N.J./Pius VI) finished 1-for-1 with two RBI in a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth inning.
UNCG used seven different pitches in the loss to Elon. Jake Lewis (Wendell, N.C./Corinth Holders) (1-1) started and earned the loss. Chad Sykes (Creedmoor, N.C./Voyager Academy) and Drew Goodman (Charlotte, N.C./Hopewell) each logged scoreless innings, with Goodman retiring the three batters he faced in the ninth.
Elon took a lead in the bottom of the first inning. After a two-base error led off the inning, a double from Nick Zammarelli brought in the first run and gave Elon a 1-0 lead.
UNCG tied the game up at one in the top of the second. After a lead off double from Woody, a fly out to right moved him to third before a Sigmon ground out to first brought him in to tie the game at one.
The Phoenix took a 4-1 lead, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second. After a lead off home run from Liam O'Regan, Elon loaded the bases on a hit by pitch, a single and a walk. CJ Young delivered a single to score two and give Elon the lead.
Kusz cut into the Phoenix lead in the top of the third. On the first pitch of the at bat, Kusz sent one to the trees in left field to trim the lead to 4-2.
The Phoenix doubled their score the following half inning, using a grand slam from Zammarelli to go up 8-2 after three innings.
Elon tacked on five more in the bottom of the fifth. The Phoenix used five hits, including two doubles and a walk to go up 13-2 after five innings.
UNCG scored two in the top of the sixth inning. After a lead off walk to Spitznagel, Moritz reached on an infield hit. Kalawaia the singled to bring in Spitznagel and an error moved Moritz to third. Woody brought him in on a sacrifice fly to right field to cut the lead to 13-4.
The Spartans sored another run in the top of the seventh. Spitznagel led off with a double and scored on a Kalawaia single.
Elon added to its lead the next half inning, scoring a run on back-to-back two-out hits to extend the lead to 14-5.
UNCG added three runs in the top of the ninth, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Ruiz.
The Spartans return to action on Friday, April 22nd as they host the ETSU Buccaneers for the first of three games at the UNCG Baseball Stadium, at 6:00 p.m.
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