CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- The Elon Phoenix posted season-highs in both runs and hits as the squad defeated the Western Carolina Catamounts 27-6 in Southern Conference baseball action on Saturday night. Six different Elon players had at least three RBI as the Phoenix improved to 35-14 overall and 22-4 in SoCon play, the most-ever league wins for the team. Western fell to 30-19, 16-9. The loss was the most lopsided defeat in SoCon play for the Catamounts since year-by-year records available since 1969.
The Phoenix batted around in the third, scoring six times.
Neal Pritchard started the inning with a double down the right field line before
Justin Hilt's single put runners on the corners.
Cory Harrilchak gave the Phoenix a 1-0 lead with a single down the right field line which extended his streak of reaching base safely to 82 consecutive games. After Harrilchak swiped second
Chase Austin walked to load the bases. Elon tacked on two more on
Pat Irvine's single to right that left runners on the corners. The Phoenix lead reached 5-0 when
Bennett Davis singled home Austin. A one-out wild pitch moved both Irvine and Davis up a bag and then, on ball four to
Dallas Tarleton, another wild pitch let Irvine come home and moved Davis to third.
Ryan Adams singled through the right side to plate Davis with the sixth run of the inning.
Western got two back in the bottom of the inning when Nick Liles sent his ninth homer of the year, a two-out shot, over the wall in left-center which also scored Dylan de Graaf.
Irvine led off the fifth with a double to right-center and scored on
Mike Melillo's single through the right side. On the throw home, Melillo took second. After Tarleton was plunked, Adams doubled to the gap in left-center to score both runners as Elon built a 9-2 lead. Pritchard greeted new Catamount hurler Matt Benedict with a two-run shot to center. With the runners moving on a 3-2 pitch to Irvine, the leftfielder lined a single off the glove of the WCU third baseman to score Harrilchak.
The Phoenix sixth started with back-to-back walks to Davis and Melillo. After a pitching change, Tarleton drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Adams added two more to his RBI total with a single up the middle that left runners on the corners. After Adams headed to second on a wild pitch, Pritchard drove in a run on a ground out as the Elon lead grew to 15-2. After Hilt was hit by a pitch, Harrilchak tripled into the right field corner for two more runs. He then scored on a
Chase Austin ground out.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth Brent Greer went deep to right for his eighth home run of the game, a two-run shot to right that also plated Ross Heffley.
Davis doubled to lead off the Phoenix seventh before Melillo walked. Both runners trotted home on Tarleton's three-run homer to right-center, his 11th of the year, as Elon built a 21-4 edge. After Pritchard doubled, pinch-hitter
Harry Austin doubled to left-center to plate Pritchard.
Matt Johns led doubled to left to begin the Catamount seventh and then scored on a pinch-hit single to right by Andy John. After swiping second, John scored on de Graaf's double to right-center.
The Phoenix added three more on
Greg Annarummo's home run to left-center in the ninth.
Chase Austin's solo shot to left made it 26-6. The bomb was his team-leading 17th of the year. The 27th run scored when Tarleton singled home
Scott Riddle with two outs.
Daniel Britt (7-0) remained perfect after allowing all six WCU runs on eight hits in 6.0 innings. He struck out six and walked just one.
Corey Martin (6-4) took the loss, lasting just 2.0 innings and giving up six runs on six hits.
Every Elon starter had a hit as the Phoenix pounded out 26 base hits on the night. Irvine, Davis, Adams and Pritchard all had three-hit games. Adams also drove in five runs and Tarleton recorded four RBI. The Phoenix, which has scored 20 or more runs in three of its last five outings, stole one base to bring its season total to 100. Elon is now just the fourth team in SoCon history to hit 100+ homers and have 100+ steals in the same season.
Both Liles and Greer went 2-for-4 with two RBI to pace WCU.
Game three of the series will be played on Sunday at 2 p.m.
-- ELON --