CARY, N.C. – The Elon Phoenix rode the arm of junior lefty Cory Harrilchak for seven innings and pushed across a couple of runs to earn a 2-0 non-conference baseball victory over the fourth-ranked Tar Heels of North Carolina from the USA Baseball National Training Center on Tuesday night. The win was the 18th over a top-25 program for Elon since the start of the 1999 campaign. It also marked the highest-ranked opponent defeated by Elon since an 8-6 win over top-ranked Clemson in 2002. It was the first shutout of a top-25 progam ever for Elon.
Elon is now 26-7 on the year while North Carolina dropped to 25-7.
Neal Pritchard walked to lead off the Phoenix half of the second inning and went to second on a failed pickoff attempt. Dallas Tarleton’s double to the gap in right plated Pritchard to put Elon on top.
With one away in the eighth inning, Donny Jobe reached on an infield single. Back-to-back walks to Bennett Davis and pinch-hitter Chase Austin loaded the bases for the Phoenix. After a strike out, Pritchard drew a 3-1 walk to force home Jobe with an insurance run.
The Phoenix had only four hits, including two from Jobe. Tarleton had one hit while Harrilchak notched the other. Harry Austin took an 0-for-4 to have his hitting streak snapped at 10 games.
North Carolina scattered six hits throughout the game. Tim Federowicz led the way with a 2-for-4 night for the Tar Heels. Kyle Seager went 0-for-3 to see his hitting streak end at 27 games.
The shutout was the second of the year for Elon and the first since a 6-0 loss to Wake Forest on April 1, 2007 for North Carolina.
Harrilchak (3-2) hurled a career-long 7.0 innings and allowed five hits while walking two and striking out three to earn the victory. Jared Kernodle worked around a lead-off double in the eighth before Thomas Girdwood worked a perfect ninth to claim his eighth save of the season. Girdwood’s eight saves place him in a tie for sixth on Elon’s single season list and in eighth place on the school’s career chart.
Patrick Johnson (3-1) gave up just one run on two hits and three walks over 5.0 innings. Johnson struck out seven.
Elon will play host to 28th-ranked East Carolina at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night from Latham Park.
ELON’S VICTORIES OVER TOP-25 OPPONENTS (NCAA DIVISION I)
1999
Elon 13, #1 Miami 6
Elon 4, #21 East Carolina 3 (12 Innings)
2000
Elon 7, #5 South Carolina 5
2001
Elon 8, #19 East Carolina 5 (10 Innings)
2002
Elon 8, #1 Clemson 6
Elon 4, #10 Wake Forest 1
Elon 3, #20 East Carolina 1
2003
Elon 4, #7 Wake Forest 1
Elon 11, #14 Clemson 2
Elon 5, #22 Coastal Carolina 6
2005
Elon 10, #6 North Carolina 3
Elon 11, #22 Coastal Carolina 7
Elon 12, #22 Coastal Carolina 6
2006
Elon 2, #14 South Carolina 1
2007
Elon 10, #11 Miami 7
Elon 13, #17 Clemson 12
Elon 18, #24 College of Charleston 11
2008
Elon 2, #4 North Carolina 0
– ELON –