CHAPEL HILL, NC – Mike Fratoe smashed a 12th-inning home run to lift Elon to a 5-4 baseball victory over No. 22 North Carolina Tuesday evening at Boshamer Stadium, snapping the Tar Heels' nine-game winning streak.
The victory marked the Phoenix's ninth baseball win over a top-25 team in the past five years and second one so far this season. Elon also improved to 18-16 against Atlantic Coast Conference teams – and is a mere nine runs away from being 26-8 in those games – during the program's four-year tenure at the NCAA Division I level.
In their first extra-inning game of the year, the Tar Heels (31-12) again rallied in the ninth to tie the contest, but the Phoenix (24-16-1) received Fratoe's game-winning homer in the top of the 12th.
Elon took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first frame. Leadoff batter Evan Tartaglia reached base on an error by Chris Iannetta at first base and came around to score three batters later when George Brandner dumped an RBI single into center field.
The Phoenix extended its lead to 2-0, thanks to a solo home run off the bat of Wes Miller in the top of the fourth inning. The Tar Heels got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Back-to-back doubles by Iannetta and Ryan Blake brought Carolina within a run. With Blake on second, Blair Waggett bounced an RBI single into center field, tying the game at 2-2.
Elon grabbed the lead with a run in the top of the eighth inning. With two strikes, Carolina reliever Scott Senatore hit Gary Morris with a pitch. After a sacrifice bunt by Chris Price, Miller singled to left, scoring Morris with the go-ahead run.
The Phoenix added another run in the top of the ninth. Paul Bennett was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and came around to score three batters later when Robbie Smith hit a sacrifice fly down the right field line.
Carolina tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jeremy Cleveland was hit by a pitch leading off the inning, and with one out, Sammy Hewitt reached on an error by Brian Ingram. Iannetta then tied the game at 4-4 by doubling into the left-center field gap, scoring both runners.
Elon regained the lead in the top of the 12th inning. Fratoe led off against Whitley Benson and blasted his fifth home run of the season over the left field wall, giving the Phoenix a 5-4 lead.
Elon hosts High Point at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Latham Park while the Tar Heels host East Carolina at Boshamer Stadium at 6 p.m. that same day.
ELON'S NINE BASEBALL VICTORIES OVER TOP-25 OPPONENTS
1.) ELON 4, No. 21 East Carolina 3 (at East Carolina, April 14, 1999)
2.) ELON 13, No. 1 Miami 6 (at Miami, April 30, 1999)
3.) ELON 7, No. 5 South Carolina 5 (at South Carolina, March 29, 2000)
4.) ELON 8, No. 19 East Carolina 5, 10 innings (at East Carolina, April 10, 2001)
5.) ELON 4, No. 10 Wake Forest 1 (at Elon, March 6, 2002)
6.) ELON 3, No. 20 East Carolina 1 (at Elon, April 9, 2002)
7.) ELON 8, No. 1 Clemson 6 (at Clemson, May 9, 2002)
8.) ELON 4, No. 7 Wake Forest 1 (at Elon, February 12, 2003)
9.) ELON 5, No. 22 North Carolina 4, 12 innings (at North Carolina, April 22, 2003)
ELON vs. THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
NCAA Division I games only
1-1 vs. Clemson
8-4 vs. Duke (three runs from 11-1)
0-0 vs. Florida State
0-2 vs. Georgia Tech
5-1 vs. Maryland (one run from 6-0)
1-3 vs. North Carolina (one run from 2-2)
1-4 vs. North Carolina State (two runs from 3-2)
0-0 vs. Virginia
2-1 vs. Wake Forest (two runs from 3-0)
18-16 vs. the ACC (nine runs from 26-8)
— GO PHOENIX GO — Game Box Score
