WILMINGTON, N.C. – After rain delayed the start of the game by two hours, the Elon Phoenix picked up a 7-4 non-conference baseball victory over the UNC Wilmington Seahawks thanks to home runs from Cory Harrilchak and Donny Jobe on Tuesday night. With the victory, Elon improved to 5-0 for the first time since the 2005 season and just the second time since moving to the NCAA Division I level for the 2000 season. UNCW dropped to 1-3.
After the first two hitters of the game were retired, Elon’s Pat Irvine reached on an error by the Seahawk second baseman. Irvine advanced to third on a failed pick-off attempt before Bennett Davis and Dallas Tarleton drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. The Phoenix failed to score however, as Mike Lobacz was struck out on a 2-2 pitch from Justin Bradley.
The Phoenix grabbed the lead in the top of the second and sent nine men to the plate. Neal Pritchard led off the frame by earning a walk on the 10th pitch of his at bat. Pritchard went to second on a wild pitch before Matt Hinson was plunked. Harrilchak then delivered a three-run bomb to right, his first of the season, on a 1-2 count. After Bradley retired the next two hitters, Elon loaded the bags thanks to three consecutive walks. Lobacz got a hold of a ball that was caught just short of the wall in right, stranding three more Elon runners.
Chris Dove began the Elon fourth with a walk before Bradley was pulled. New Seahawk hurler Jesse Haney was rudely welcomed by Jobe who launched a shot to right to push the Phoenix edge to 5-0. It was the first homer of the year for Jobe.
Three straight two-out singles from Harrilchak, Dove and Jobe plated another Phoenix run in the fifth inning.
The Seahawks rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Mike Rooney and Rhett Miller began the at bat with singles. Matt Holt’s walk on a 3-2 pitch loaded the bases for Jason Appel. Appel grounded out to first, but UNCW got on the board as Rooney crossed the plate. Elon’s lead was trimmed to 6-2 when Daniel Hargrave’s bounding ball up the middle was gloved by a diving Pritchard who fired to first in time to retire Hargrave, but Miller scored on the play.
Rooney’s two-out double down the leftfield line drove home Nate Hall with the third Seahawk run of the game in the bottom of the sixth.
With one away in the top of the eighth, Elon loaded the bases with a walk to Irvine and back-to-back singles from Davis and Tarleton. Pinch-hitter Ryan Adams drew a 3-2 walk from Larry Salefsky which forced home Irvine and pushed the Phoenix advantage to 7-3. Alex Hill saved some runs for the Seahawks when he made a sliding catch on a sinking liner off the bat of Mike Melillo to strand three Phoenix runners.
UNCW made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth by getting the first two runners on via a walk and an Elon error. Thomas Girdwood then got Appel to fly out to left. With two away, Mark Carver lined a single into left-center to plate Miller with the fourth Seahawk run. Girdwood then fanned Nate Hall to end the game.
Jimmy Reyes (1-0) allowed just two runs on five hits in 5.0 innings of work in his first career start. The freshman struck out four.
Bradley (0-1) took the loss by surrendering four runs on two hits and seven walks in 3.0 innings of action.
Jobe and Harrilchak each drove in two while rapping two hits apiece for the Phoenix.
Rooney was the only Seahawk to have a multi-hit outing.
Elon returns home to take on the East Carolina Pirates in a 4 p.m. contest from Latham Park on Wednesday afternoon.
– ELON –