CARY, N.C. – Bradley Holt shut down the high-powered offense of the Elon Phoenix to lead the UNC Wilmington Seahawks to a 5-2 victory in the first game of the Cary Regional of the 2008 NCAA Baseball Tournament. Elon entered the game averaging 8.9 runs per game and saw its nine-game winning streak, the third-longest active streak in the nation, snapped. The Phoenix now sits at 43-17 while UNCW improved to 43-15-1 on the year. With six hits on the day, Elon established a new school record with 657 hits on the season.
Elon’s appearance in the 2008 NCAA Regionals began with Chris Dove being plunked on a 2-2 pitch from Holt. After Donny Jobe’s sacrifice advanced Dove to second, Cory Harrilchak grounded out to advance Dove to third. Dove then tried to steal home. The pitch to the plate was high, causing the Seahawk catcher to jump up, but the plate umpire David Rogers ruled that Mark Carver got the tag on the diving Dove for the final out.
The bottom of the first started with Alex Hill sending a 2-2 pitch from Steven Hensley into right for a single. Just as in the top of the inning, the runner was moved to second with a sac bunt. Jason Appel’s infield single put runners on the corners for Carver. Hill scored the game’s first tally on Carver’s single to right-center. With runners on the corners, Nate Hall delivered Appel with a single to left-center. A line drive double play off the bat of Bobby Leeper ended the inning.
Back-to-back singles from Dallas Tarleton and Chase Austin started the Phoenix second. With runners on the corners, Mike Melillo singled through the right side to plate Tarleton and bring Elon within 2-1. Harry Austin’s single to right-center evened the score as Chase Austin scored from second base. For the second straight inning, a steal attempt ended Elon’s at bat. The Phoenix put on a double steal, but Melillo was caught trying to return to third base for the final out.
With two outs in the bottom of the second, Hensley hit Mike Rooney. Rooney raced to third on Hill’s single and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
Elon threatened in the fifth, getting runners on the corners with one out. Holt then got Harrilchak to pop out to short and Bennett Davis to fly out to center to end the inning and the Phoenix remained a run down.
The Seahawks struck again with two away in the sixth. With Rhett Miller on second and Rooney on first, Hill singled for the fourth time to drive in Miller. Daniel Hargrave plated Rooney with a double to left, building a 5-2 lead for UNCW.
“We had some opportunities early that we didn’t cash in on,” said Elon skipper Mike Kennedy. “Overall I thought it was a pretty good game. We didn’t quit. We made a run at them, but just came up a little short.”
Hensley’s strikeout of Carver in the bottom of the seventh was the 302nd of his career, moving him into a tie for 10th place in SoCon history.
Harrilchak went 0-for-3, but walked once to extend his streak of reaching base safely to 31 games. Melillo and Harry Austin were both 1-for-4 with a RBI for Elon.
UNCW’s Hill went 4-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI while both Carver and Hall posted two-hit outings. The Seahawks had nine runners reach in two-strike counts, including seven with hits.
Hensley (10-2) threw 6.1 innings, striking out two and walking one in the loss. He allowed 12 hits and five runs.
Holt (11-1) gave up two runs on six hits in 8.2 innings of work. He walked six and fanned three. Cameron Roth came on to record the final out for his fourth save of the season.
Elon will take on either top-seed and #2 North Carolina or fourth-seeded Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday at 1 p.m. from the USA Baseball National Training Center.
– ELON –