STATESBORO, Ga. – Kim Griffin's RBI single to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning proved to be the game winner as Georgia Southern defeated SoCon foe Elon 3-2 Saturday afternoon at Eagle Field, taking the weekend softball series two games to one.

Georgia Southern (22-19 overall, 4-5 Southern Conference) opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Shanita Black reached first with a walk and Aurora Johnson reached on a throwing error by Phoenix third base man Christina Melton in a sacrifice bunt attempt, sending Black across home plate.

Elon (25-16-1, 7-5) struck back in the top of the third as Paige Goss reached first on an error by GSU pitcher Cary Moone. Jenny Gustin later rapped a two-out single to center field, advancing Goss to second. The next batter, Jamie Dupont, doubled to the left field fence, scoring both Goss and Gustin and putting the Phoenix up 2-1.

GSU's Logan Free slammed her second home run of the season to open up the bottom of the third and knot the score at 2-2. The Eagles regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Free opened with a walk and Black's sacrifice bunt advanced Free's pinch runner, Carolyn Chin, to second. Johnson's single to left put runners on the corners with Griffin coming to the plate. Her single to left sent Chin home to score the go-ahead run for the Eagles.

Moone (10-6) recorded seven strikeouts and no walks in seven innings in the circle, allowing six hits and one earned run. Elon's Megan Borgaard (5-2) struck out two batters and walked four while yielding three earned runs on just five hits in six innings.

The Phoenix will next visit North Carolina A&T at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The Eagles head to Athens, Ga. on Thursday for a 5 p.m. non-conference tilt against intra-state rival Georgia.

– ELON –