GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Chase Austin continued his assault on the Elon record book by belting two more homers recording three hits. He also tied a career-high with six RBI while teammate
Bennett Davis hit for the cycle as the 22nd-ranked Phoenix routed the Western Carolina Catamounts by a 15-7 margin in the 2009 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament from Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. on Thursday night. The Phoenix has now won six straight SoCon Tournament games dating back to last season, scoring 10 or more runs in all six.
Elon claimed an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first. With one out,
Cory Harrilchak singled up the middle before Austin belted his 20th homer of the year over the Green Monster in left. With the bomb, Austin became just the second player in the history baseball to hit 20 or more home runs. Davis kept things going with a two-out double off the wall in left before
Mike Melillo's single drove him home with the third Phoenix tally.
Western came right back in the bottom of the inning. Nick Liles started things off with a bunt single before Trevor Collias lined a single to center. After a ground out moved both runners up, before Brent Greer's ground out to short plated Liles. The Catamounts scored their second run when Harrilchak dropped a fly ball in right center that allowed Stephen Notaro to reach and extend the inning. Matt Johns followed by walking on four pitches before J.C. Lyons crushed a pitch over the wall in left-center for a three-run shot that put WCU up 5-3. It was the ninth homer of the year for Lyons.
The Phoenix loaded the bases with one out in the second with a
Neal Pritchard single,
Justin Hilt being hit by a pitch and a Harrilchak single. Austin followed with a triple to right-center that gave him two RBI. On the play, Harrilchak stumbled coming around third, but ended up scoring when the catcher dropped the ball at the plate. After
Pat Irvine was plunked, Davis belted a ball over the Monster that went off the top of the building which is 30 feet beyond the wall. The bomb was the 14th of the year for Davis and extended Elon's lead to 9-5 and chased Western starter Garrett Ozar.
With Hilt on second with two outs, Austin went deep for the second time in the game as the Phoenix pushed its margin to 11-5. The homer also tied Austin for Elon's single-season mark. Jeff Kipila also belted 21 homers in 1988. The shot gave Austin another record. The hit was his 89th of the year, moving him past the record of 88 hits set by Gary Morris in 2004. It was also his sixth two-homer game of the season.
With one away in the bottom of the third, Greer singled to center before Notaro walked and Johns singled to load the bases. Elon kept the Catamounts off the board by getting Lyons to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
After Hilt singled and stole second to begin the Phoenix fifth, Irvine singled through the right side with two outs to drive home Elon's 12th run. Davis tripled past a diving Liles in center to score Irvine. Melillo followed by lining a single up the middle to score Davis as the Phoenix lead grew to 14-5.
Pritchard led off the top of the sixth with a double and then would score on a Catamount error with Elon's 15th run of the contest.
With two outs in the ninth, Davis grounded a single inside the bag at third, completing the cycle.
Western scored their final two runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Elon starter
Daniel Britt allowed five runs, only one of which was earned, to improve to 8-0 on the year.
Ozar fell to 4-5 after being tagged for nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits in just an inning and a third.
Davis finished the night 4-for-6 with three runs scored and four RBI while Austin was 3-for-5 with three runs and six RBI. His six RBI and 11 total bases tied SoCon Tournament records. Melillo added three hits in four trips to the plate, driving in two. Hilt, Harrilchak and Pritchard all had two-hit games.
Liles tallied the only multi-hit game for Western, going 2-for-5. Lyons had three of the Cats' five RBI.
Elon has earned an off day on Friday and will take on the winner of tomorrow's game featuring The Citadel and Appalachian State. That Saturday contest will be held at 9 a.m.
-- ELON --