Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Despite holding a 3-0 lead after two innings, the Elon Phoenix watched as the NC State Wolfpack scored at least two runs in each of the next five innings to earn a 17-4 victory in the 2011 baseball season opener for both teams.  The loss snapped a two-game winning streak that Elon had against the Wolfpack.

Elon (0-1) struck first, sending nine hitters to the plate and scoring three times in the second inning.  Neal Pritchard led off the frame with a walk before Grant McCoury's infield single put two aboard to bring Cyle Rasmus to the plate.  Rasmus drilled a 2-1 pitch from Cory Mazzoni deep over the left field wall for his first homer in a Phoenix uniform as Elon built a 3-0 lead.  Ben Scott,  Harry Austin and Jake Luce followed with back-to-back-back singles to load the bases.  Elon would not be able to take advantage of the situation, however, as Niko Fraser fouled out and Alex Swim was robbed of a hit with a diving catch in right-center by the Wolfpack's Brett Williams.

The Wolfpack (1-0) broke through in the bottom of the third.  Chris Diaz led the inning off with a soft single to center before scoring on a double down the left field off the bat of Matt Bergquist.  With one away, Pratt Maynard lined a single just out of the reach of Fraser in right for a single that put runners on the corners for Andrew Ciencin.  Ciencin made it a 3-2 game with a slow liner just over the head of Pritchard at short that scored Bergquist.  Tarran Senay then loaded the bases with a single to right.  Danny Canella's sacrifice fly to left evened the score at three as Maynard trotted home.

Williams began the Wolfpack fourth with a single and then went to third on a Diaz double that bounced over the head of Scott who had charged on a shown bunt.  A walk to Bergquist loaded the bases with no outs and brought John Gianis to the dish.  Gianis sent the first pitch he saw from reliever Greg Amorosso through the right side for a single that plated Williams with the go-ahead run.  The Wolfpack built a 7-3 lead when Maynard doubled into the right field corner to score all three runners.  An Elon error put runners on the corners before Senay's ground out brought Maynard home to make it an 8-3 game.

A double, single and wild pitch put Wolfpack runners on second and third with no outs in the fifth.  After a ground out and a strike out, Maynard drove in two more with a single to center as State built a 10-3 advantage.

Elon got one back in the top of the sixth when Austin lined a single to right-center to drive home Rasmus who had reached on a one-out double.

The Wolfpack added another five runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth to push its lead to 15-4.  NC State then added two more in the seventh.

Elon's Jared Kernodle (0-1) took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits in three-plus innings.

Mazzoni (1-0) was the winner and gave up four runs on eight hits in 6.0 innings on the mound.

Rasmus and Austin both had two-hit outings for the Phoenix.

Maynard finished the day 3-for-4 with three runs scored and five RBI.  The Wolfpack trio of Williams, Diaz and Bergquist combined to go 8-for-11 with 11 runs scored.

Elon and NC State will play game two of this three-game series at Elon's Latham Park at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.