ELON, N.C. – Mike Melillo went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBI to pace the Elon Phoenix to a 10-8 victory over the visiting La Salle Explorers in front on 456 fans at Latham Park in non-league baseball action Monday evening. The Phoenix, which had fallen behind 7-0 after the first half inning of play, now sits at 6-4 overall this year. La Salle is now 4-4.
In the top of the first, Jeff Flax drew a walk to lead off the game. He headed to third when John Malloy doubled off the wall in right-center. After TJ Chism was hit by a pitch to load the bases Marc Schoch grounded a ball up the middle that was gloved by a diving Chase Austin, but no play could be made and Flax scored on the single. Jon Gyles followed with a line drive single to center to score both Malloy and Chism, building a 3-0 lead for the Explorers. With two down, Brian Meagher walked ahead of Zach Feierstein who singled through the left side to drive home Schoch. Flax singled to drive home Gyles before Justin Handler singled to drive in another two runs and La Salle finished the first half inning with a 7-0 lead.
Elon answered with a lead-off walk to Cory Harrilchak and a perfectly executed hit-and-run single off the bat of Zeth Stone to put runners on the corners. Austin followed with a walk to load the bases. Bennett Davis then walked on four straight pitches to force home Harrilchak. A Melillo double down the right field line plated two more as Stone and Austin scored. Dallas Tarleton drew the fourth walk of the inning, reloading the bases. Justin Hilt’s infield single scored another two runs as the Phoenix closed the gap to 7-5 with no outs in the bottom of the first. After a wild pitch moved Tarleton to third and Hilt to second, Harrilchak walked for the second time in the inning. Stone lined a single to right to drive home another two runs, knotting the score at 7-7.
Davis began the Elon second with a double to left-center and rode home on Melillo’s bomb to left, his first homer of the season.
The Phoenix added another on a solo homer from Davis in the sixth, his third on the year.
With runners on second and third, Handler hit a ball to third that took a bad hop over Davis and went down the left field line for a double which scored Chris Umstead who had earlier walked.
Picking up the win was
Bobby Kennedy who improved to 1-2 on the season. Kennedy allowed seven runs on nine hits in 5.0 innings of action. The Phoenix bullpen allowed just one run in the final 4.0 innings.
Eric Van Wyk (0-1) took the loss in relief. He was charged with two runs on four hits in 2.2 innings. Starter Drew Gerhart was tagged for seven runs without recording an out.
On the offensive side of the ball, Elon's Hilt went 3-for-4 with a run and two driven in while both Stone and Davis collected two hits. Harrilchak has now reached base safely in 43 straight games. Of Elon's 12 hits, six were of the extra base variety.
Handler was 2-for-4 with three RBI while Flax, Chism and Umstead all tallied two hits.
The two squads will play again on Tuesday at 4 p.m. from Latham Park. The scheduled pitching match-ups see Elon's Harrilchak taking on La Salle's Kevin Fuqua.
-- ELON --