ELON, N.C. -- The Elon Phoenix scored six runs in the third inning, including four on Mike Melillo's first career grand slam, and held off a late charge by the 21st-ranked East Carolina Pirates for a 10-8 non-league baseball victory in front of a Latham Park record crowd of 1,873 fans on Tuesday night. With the win, the 19th over a top-25 ranked opponent for Elon since the start of the 1999 season, the Phoenix improved to 29-13 on the year. ECU is now 32-14.
The Pirates started the first with a walk to Trent Whitehead before Ryan Wood was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up on a passed ball before Kyle Roller's ground out brought home Whitehead with the first run of the night. Another ground out from Brandon Henderson plated Wood as the Pirates went up 2-0 without the benefit of a hit.
Elon quickly responded.
Cory Harrilchak's double down the right field line extended his streak of reaching base safely to 75 games before
Bennett Davis tied the game with his 12th home run of the year, this one to center. The Phoenix took the lead when
Pat Irvine crushed his 15th homer of the year to right, a solo shot with one out.
Whitehead started the ECU third with a double into the right field corner and went to third when Wood flew out to right-center. Whitehead scored to tie the game when Roller grounded out to first.
Davis and
Chase Austin began the bottom of the third with back-to-back singles. Following a pitching change, Irvine drew a walk to load the bases. Melillo unloaded the bags by ripping his first career grand slam to left-center, putting Elon back on top by a 7-3 margin. The Phoenix loaded the bases when
Neal Pritchard was plunked and both
Harry Austin and Harrilchak walked with two outs. Davis then walked on five pitches to force home Pritchard. A full count walk to
Chase Austin followed and forced home
Harry Austin.
Stephen Batts was hit and went to second on a passed ball to start the ECU fourth. After a balk moved Batts to third, Dustin Harrington lined a one-out single to center to score Batts. An infield single from Drew Schieber put two men aboard before
Tom Porter retired the next two hitters to preserve a 9-4 advantage.
Dallas Tarleton doubled off the wall to lead off the Phoenix half of the fourth before Pritchard reached on an error that put runners on the corners. After Pritchard went to second on a wild pitch, pinch-hitter
Greg Annarummo's ground out to second scored Tarleton.
ECU edged one run closer when Whitehead led off the top of the seventh with his fifth homer of the year. Wood followed with a routine fly ball to center that was dropped by
Harry Austin, allowing Wood to reach second. Roller's fly ball to center allowed Wood to move up to third. Wood then scored when Austin Homan grounded out to first, moving the Pirates within four at 10-6.
Whitehead reached on a throwing error to start the top of the ninth and then scored when Wood went deep to left to move ECU within two runs at 10-8. After Roller struck out, Phoenix closer
Thomas Girdwood came on to fan both Corey Thompson and Batts.
Porter (1-2) picked up his first victory of the season after allowing four runs (three earned) in 5.0 innings. He also struck out five and walked just one. Girdwood claimed his 13th save of the season.
Mike Wright (0-2) gave up five runs on five hits in two-plus innings to take the loss. Britton Cole allowed ECU to work its way back, hurling 4.2 shutout innings out of the pen.
Four Elon players posted two-hit nights – Harrilchak, Davis, Melillo and Tarleton. Melillo upped his RBI total by four, while Davis added three to his RBI tally.
Wood drove in two and scored three times for ECU. Whitehead scored four runs and went 2-for-4.
The Phoenix will play its next four games at home, where it has now won a season-best nine consecutive games, beginning with a 7 p.m. first pitch against North Carolina A&T on Thursday night.
-- ELON --