GREENSBORO, N.C. - An eighth inning offensive surge and some impressive performances on the mound lifted UNCG baseball (2-1, 0-0) to a series win this opening weekend, defeating Elon (1-2, 0-0) by a final of 3-2 in Sunday's series finale. The Spartans held the Phoenix to just two runs on six hits over the course of the afternoon, while Spencer Smith delivered the bases loaded, two-RBI single that proved to be the game-winner. 

The Spartans were the first on the board for a second consecutive night, scoring on a Daniel Cerda sac fly in the second. UNCG was faced with a tough matchup on the mound, with Elon's starter spraying four Spartan hits over five innings while giving up only that lone score in the second. 

While he didn't receive the winning decision, right-handed starter Jacob Curry put in an impressive 5.0-plus inning performance. The redshirt junior held Elon to a single hit and just three base runners during his first four frames, at one point retiring eight straight Phoenix hitters. The visitors did get to the Spartan starter eventually however, plating a run on three hits in the fifth and adding a leadoff homer to start the sixth. 

Coming on after the first AB of that sixth inning, lefty Jack Voigt provided another solid relief performance, facing just two over the minimum in his 3.0 innings on the bump. The redshirt senior struck out four of the 10 batters he faced, surrendering just a single hit and a hit by pitch. He has tallied seven Ks over four innings out of the pen against Elon this weekend, allowing just three base runners over that span.

With Voigt taking care of business on the mound, the UNCG offense was presented a scoring opportunity in the eighth, loading the bases on a Josh Madole single, Pres Cavenaugh walk and Elon defensive error. Still in search of his first knock of the season, Spencer Smith chose the right time to end his early drought, bringing home Madole and Cavenaugh with a single slotted through the left side. 

Those runs were enough to clinch a 3-2 win for the Spartans, as transfer righty Kross Robinson came on to close out the ninth. The 6'4" hurler induced a groundout before freezing a pair of Elon batters on breaking balls, clinching his first save in blue and gold and securing a series win for the Spartans to open the 2021 season. 

>> After failing to grab a knock in the first two contests of the weekend, Josh Madole went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored on Sunday
>> Pres Cavenaugh crossed home plate for two of the Spartans' three runs. He was a perfect 1-for-1 at the plate and drew three walks on the day
>> Zack Budzik stole two more bases in the first inning for a total of four on the year, he and Hogan Windish pulled off the double steal during that opening inning. The Spartans stole a total of 10 bases over the course of the weekend

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