ELON, N.C. -- The Elon Phoenix scored at least one run in every at bat, highlighted by a 10-run third inning, and belted nine home runs to cruise to a 25-6 Southern Conference baseball victory over the College of Charleston Cougars in the first game of a doubleheader from Latham Park on Saturday afternoon. The victory improved Elon to 18-11 overall and 12-4 in SoCon play. CofC dropped to 21-10, 10-6 on the year.
After a walk to
Cory Harrilchak extended his streak of reaching base safely to 62 straight games,
Chase Austin crushed his fifth homer of the year, this shot to left.
With runners on the corners and two away in the second inning, Harrilchak bounced a ball toward the hole between first and second. Harrilchak beat the pitcher to the bag at first for an infield single which plated
Neal Pritchard who had reached on an error.
The Cougars tied the game at three in the third. Hutson Dodds reached on an infield single before Joey Bergman was plunked with two away. Brandon Sizemore sent an 0-2 pitch out over the left field fence for his 14th homer of the year to even the score.
Elon answered right back in its half of the third, sending 14 men to the plate and scoring 10 runs.
Pat Irvine reached on an infield single before
Bennett Davis drilled a 1-0 pitch over the wall in center for his seventh homer of the year and the 25th of his Phoenix career, good enough to rate eighth on the program's career chart. After
Mike Melillo walked,
Dallas Tarleton and Pritchard lined back-to-back singles to load the bags. With
Ryan Adams at the plate, Jesse Simpson uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Melillo to score. Adams then ripped a single up the middle to plate Tarleton as Elon extended its lead to 7-3.
Justin Hilt roped a triple to the gap in right-center to score both Pritchard and Adams. Hilt then crossed the dish with Elon's seventh run of the frame on Harrilchak's ground out. Austin walked and moved to second on a wild pitch before scoring on Irvine's single through the right side of the infield. Davis drilled his second home run of the inning, this one a two-run shot to left.
Adams walked to start the Elon fourth and then Hilt was hit by a pitch as the Phoenix began another big inning. After a ground out moved the runners to second and third Austin hit his second home run of the game, this one clearing the wall in left-center as the Phoenix lead reached 16-3. Irvine and Davis followed with singles and Melillo walked to load the bases. With two outs, Pritchard unloaded the bags by crushing his second career grand slam. This shot from Pritchard, his fifth of the year, cleared the wall in left.
Harrilchak sent the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth over the fence in left for his seventh home run of the year. Austin reached on an error that allowed him to end up at second. After a wild pitch moved Austin to third, Irvine was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. A Davis ground out allowed Austin to score.
Bergman led off the CofC sixth with his ninth home run of the season, this one to right. The Cougars then loaded the bases thanks to a walk to Sizemore, Ryan Daniels being hit by a pitch and a Joash Brodin single. After an infield fly, Cole Rakar lined out to center, plating Sizemore with Charleston's fifth run of the game.
Harrilchak added another tally to Elon's total with his second solo homer of the day in the sixth.
Irvine crushed his 11th home run of the year to lead off the Elon seventh to increase the Phoenix lead to 24-5.
Matt Hinson pinch-hit to start the Phoenix eighth and sent the first pitch he saw over the center field wall for his second homer of the year.
After three straight walks to start the top of the ninth, Sizemore lifted a sac fly to center
Jimmy Reyes improved to 5-0 on the year with another solid showing. Reyes hurled 7.0 innings and allowed five runs on six hits. He issued just one walk and fanned nine Cougar hitters.
Simpson was roughed up in just 2.2 innings of work. He allowed 13 runs (12 earned) on 13 hits while falling to 5-2 on the season.
Both Austin and Davis both drove in five runs. For Davis, that equaled a career-best. Harrilchak and Pritchard both finished with four RBI for the Phoenix which posted its most runs since scoring 29 against Appalachian State on May 20, 2005. Harrilchak, Pritchard and Adams all had three-hit days while both Irvine and Davis notched four-hit outings. Harrilchak, Austin and Davis each homered twice in the victory.
For Charleston, Sizemore collected four RBI and Dodds posted the lone mult-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
-- ELON --