Box Score

ELON, N.C. -- Joey Tomko knocked the first homer of his Elon career and Phoenix pitching allowed just five hits as the maroon and gold defeated Wake Forest 3-2 at Latham Park on Wednesday night.  The loss was just the second mid-week defeat for the Demon Deacons this season.

David Whitehead (3-3) went six strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out two to get the win.  Jordan Darnell (2.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 K) and Andrew MacDonald (0.1 IP, 1 K) bridged the gap to closer Nate Young who recorded the final two outs for his seventh save of the year.

Ryan Kinsella led off the bottom of the second with a single up the middle to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, matching a career-high.  Tomko then drove a 3-2 pitch from Tim Cooney over the tall wall in left to make it a 2-0 game in favor of the Phoenix (27-21).

Kinsella and Tomko had back-to-back singles to begin the fourth to put runners on the corners for Casey Jones who lifted a sacrifice fly to center as Elon built a 3-0 lead.

Wake Forest (27-20) got on the board in the sixth when Conor Keniry singled home Evan Stephens from second.  The Deacs clawed closer with an unearned run in the eighth.  Stephens singled and had his stay extended on the bases thanks to a throwing error before scoring on a Mac Williamson single.

Cooney, Wake's normal Friday night starter, gave up all three runs on six hits in five innings to fall to 5-5.

Elon will get back to Southern Conference action when it hosts Western Carolina in a pivotal three-game series beginning on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m.