Box Score

ELON, N.C. -- Despite holding the UNC Wilmington Seahawks to just three hits, the Elon Phoenix found itself on the short end of a 6-5 decision in a non-league baseball game on Tuesday night.

After three scoreless innings, Elon (30-18) used back-to-back lead-off walks to Alex Swim and Garrett Koster to spark a three-run inning.  A wild pitch following the two walks allowed Cyle Rasmus' foul out to right to serve as a sacrifice fly that scored Swim.  Grant McCoury then lined a ball to deep left that made it over the wall for his fifth homer of the year.

UNCW (24-21) responded in its next at bat.  Michael Bass was hit by a pitch to start the inning before Matt Campbell recorded the first Seahawk hit of the night, a single.  After a walk to Hunter Ridge loaded the bases, Andrew Cain lifted a sac fly to right to get UNCW on the board.  The Phoenix escaped further damage as David Whitehead induced two pop-ups on the infield to end the inning.

Niko Fraser lined an 0-1 pitch just inside the right field line for a triple to start the Phoenix fifth.  Sebastian Gomez's single to right followed to give Elon a 4-1 advantage.  Neal Pritchard's infield single put runners on the corners before Swim's grounder to short erased Pritchard, but plated Gomez with Elon's fifth run.

The Seahawks loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth thanks to three straight walks.  The Phoenix was close to escaping the jam when Jared Kernodle came on to fan both Bass and Campbell.  Ridge then greeted Greg Amorosso with a double that was just inside the first base bag that drove home two to make it a 5-3 game.  Elon got out of it when John Brebbia came on and struck out Cain to end the inning.

Thomas Pope pulled UNCW within a run at 5-4 when he led off the last of the sixth by connecting on his fourth home run of the year, this one clearing the wall in left-center.

With one out in the Seahawk seventh, Bass walked and went to second on a ground out.  After an intentional walk to Ridge, Cain struck out, but a wild pitch allowed him to reach and load the bases.  Pope then tied the game at five by drawing a walk.  Hill also drew a walk as UNCW took a 6-5 lead without recording a hit in the inning.

McCoury (1-2) was saddled with the loss after he was charged with one run in two-thirds of an inning.  He walked three hitters.  Whitehead went four innings, allowing three runs on one hit and five walks.  Brebbia tied a career-high with four strikeouts.

Tom Timoney (2-1) won out the bullpen for UNCW.  He tossed two scoreless frames, fanning two.  William Prince hurled a perfect ninth to earn his third save of the season.

Gomez (2-for-4, one run, one RBI), extended his hitting streak to nine games, including seven consecutive multi-hit contests for the Phoenix.  Pritchard (2-for-4) and McCoury (2-for-4, one run, two RBI) also had two-hit nights.

Both Ridge went 1-for-2 with a run and two RBI while Pope was 1-for-3 with a run and two RBI for the Seahawks.

Elon will visit The Citadel in a key Southern Conference clash this weekend.  The first pitch of the three-game series is set for 4 p.m. on Friday.