ELON, N.C. -- For the second consecutive game, the Elon Phoenix scored early and often, as it knocked off the Furman Paladins 19-3 in the final game of the three-game Southern Conference baseball series. Elon got a combined five runs scored, three homers and 11 RBI out of Evan Erickson and Chris Vasami. With the series sweep, Elon improved to 21-14 overall and 11-7 in league play. Furman dropped to 11-19, 4-10.
Furman’s Ben Terry took a 3-2 pitch and put it just over the wall in right-center field to lead off the game and give the Paladins a 1-0 lead.
The Phoenix responded in the bottom of the inning, sending nine men to the plate and scoring five runs. Gary Morris led off with a double to left-center, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Chris Price’s single to center. Erickson's single was followed by a Drew Davis single, plating Price to give Elon the lead. Vasami (pictured right) then delivered the big blow of the inning, a three-run bomb over the leftfield wall.
The Paladins got one back in the second when a Spence Gibbs single scored Will Stembridge.
Elon struck with a homer again in the bottom of the second when Erickson (pictured left) launched a shot over the left-centerfield wall that accounted for two Phoenix runs. Bennett rode home on the home run after reaching on a single through the left side of the infield.
In the third, Furman added on one more as Matthew Betsill drove home A.J. Davidiuk with a single.
A Price single through the left side got Elon on the board in the fourth inning, scoring Morris who had reached on an error to lead off the inning and moved to second on Bennett’s single. Erickson crushed a pitch to dead centerfield for his second homer of the day, this one a three-run shot to give the Phoenix an 11-3 advantage.
The lead stretched to 16-3 in the bottom of the fifth as the Phoenix scored five more times. The first run of the inning came home when the Paladins committed their third error of the afternoon. Price’s single drove home Morris with the second run of the inning. With one out and the bases loaded, Davis hit a sac fly to left to bring home Bennett with Elon’s 14th run of the day. Vasami’s double would then plate both Erickson and Price to put the Phoenix ahead by 13 runs.
Erickson continued his torrid day in the sixth inning, driving in his sixth run of the day with a bases loaded single to left that scored Morris. Davis followed that with a single of his own, plating Bennett. Jesse Lewter’s sac fly delivered Price with the third run of the inning.
Lance Cole (4-1) picked up the victory in relief of Ryan Basham for the Phoenix. Cole went 1.0 inning and walked one without giving up a hit. Basham lasted 4.0 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits.
Kyle Funk (0-3) took the loss for Furman after throwing 1.0 inning and giving up six runs on six hits.
Erickson ended the day 4-for-5 with four runs scored and six driven in. Price (3-for5, four runs scored, three RBI), Morris (2-for-4, four runs scored), Bennett (2-for-4, four runs scored, one RBI), Davis (2-for-4, one run scored, three RBI) and Vasami (2-for-4, one run scored, five RBI) each also logged multi-hit games for Elon.
At the plate for Furman, Terry (2-for-4, one run, one RBI), Sam McLain (2-for-5) and Tony Maccani (2-for-2) each had multiple hits.
Elon will host High Point on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. at Latham Park while Furman will travel to Charlotte for a 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
-- ELON -- Game Box Score
