Box Score

ELON, N.C. -- The Elon Phoenix rallied for five runs over the final two innings and claimed its ninth win of the season in its final at bat as Harry Austin singled home Eric Serra in the bottom of the ninth to push the Phoenix past the College of Charleston Cougars by a 5-4 margin on Saturday night in Southern Conference baseball action.

The win was number 498 for Elon skipper Mike Kennedy who is in his 15th season at his alma mater.

Elon (24-12, 14-3 SoCon) found itself down 4-0 heading into the last of the eighth before rallying to tie the score.  Garrett Koster led the inning off with a double down the left field line and went to third on a ground out.  With two down, Niko Fraser drew a walk before Neal Pritchard laced a single to right-center to plate Koster.  Alex Swim followed with a double to left that drove home Fraser to close the Phoenix's deficit to 4-2.  Sebastian Gomez then bounced a ball to third, but beat the throw to first for a single that scored Pritchard.  The throw to first was dropped by the Cougar first baseman which allowed Swim to race home to knot the game up at four.

In the ninth, Serra started things off with a pinch-hit single and took second on a wild pitch.  After swiping third with one out, Austin grounded a ball between the drawn in first and second basemen for the game-winning hit.

College of Charleston (22-14, 7-7) took advantage of a two-out error in the top of the first inning and scored two runs in its first at bat.  After Rob Kral reached on an error, Matt Leeds grounded a single between first and second.  With the runners on second and third following a wild pitch, Jose Rodriguez lined a double into right-center to drive home both runners.

The Cougars tacked on a third unearned run when Kolby Epley's two-out single to center plated Leeds from third.

Leeds began the Charleston fifth with a double down the left field line, moved to third on a ground out and then scored when Daniel Aldrich lifted a sacrifice fly to left-center to make it a 4-0 game.

Jared Kernodle (5-1) was the winner for Elon after tossing five shutout frames out of the bullpen in relief of starter Dylan Clark.  Kernodle allowed just two hits while fanning four.  Clark gave up all four runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits in four inning.

Kyle Owings (0-3) suffered the loss after surrendering one run on two hits in just two-thirds of an inning.  Cougar starter Josh Renfro kept Elon off the board until the eighth and finished the night being charged with four runs (three earned) on eight hits in 7.2 innings.  Renfro struck out seven.

Swim and Koster both finished the night 2-for-4 with a run scored. 

Leeds led the Cougar attack, picking up three of the team's eight hits.  He also scored three of the four runs.

Elon will look to complete the sweep at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.