ELON, N.C. -- Elon scored 10 runs over the first three innings and then held off 22nd-ranked Coastal Carolina by an 11-7 score in non-conference baseball action from Latham Park on Friday night. The win improved the Phoenix to 27-18 on the season. The loss dropped the Chanticleers to 33-10 and snapped a nine-game winning streak for CCU. With the win, Elon picked up its second top-25 win of the season (Elon beat #6 North Carolina 10-3 this season) and its 12th since the start of the 1999 season. Elon has also now won 16 consecutive home non-conference games.
Elon jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Coastal’s Ricky Shefka. Behind only the 10th walk issued by the righty in over 75 innings of work this season to Gary Morris, Paul Bennett doubled to the leftfield gap to plate Morris. The Phoenix then loaded the bases with no outs and scored its second run when Matt Stocco’s fielder’s choice brought home Bennett. A two-out single back up the middle from Chris Vasami allowed Chris Price, who had walked, to score the third Elon run of the inning.
The Phoenix struck again in the second inning. Adam Weaver began with a single to right and Morris was hit by a pitch for the 21st time this season. Following a sac bunt from Bennett and an intentional walk to Price, Elon had the bases loaded. Evan Erickson launched a blast to dead centerfield that Dom Duggan leaped and grabbed at the wall for a sacrifice fly that brought home Weaver to put Elon ahead by a 4-0 margin.
In the third, Vasami reached on a one-out single and then moved to third on John Walker’s single to left-center. Weaver’s double of the wall in left scored Vasami with Elon’s fifth run of the night. Morris crushed an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left for a three-run homer, his second of the year, to put the Phoenix up 8-0. Three batters later, Erickson hit his eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot to the gap in left.
The Chanticleers got on the board for the first time in the fifth inning when Duggan led it off with a home run, his third of the year, over the leftfield wall.
Coastal added two more in the sixth on Chris Todd’s two-run shot over the rightfield wall. Duggan greeted Elon reliever Vasami with his second homer of the night, a solo shot to center that cut the margin to 10-4.
Michael DeJesus led off the seventh with a solo homer over the leftfield wall, the fourth long ball of the night for the Chants. The blast was the sixth of the season for DeJesus. Following a strikeout, Vasami walked Tommy Baldridge and then gave up a single to Aaron Verrett. Jesse Lewter came in to fan Josh Eachues and get Chris Raber to pop out to short to end the threat.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Morris was hit for the second time on the night, moved to third on Bennett’s single down the rightfield line and scored on Price’s double to right. With his third run scored on the night, Morris tied the Elon career record with 198 runs scored.
The Chants began the eighth with a single from Todd and a double off the bat of Duggan to put runners on second and third with no outs. An Elon error loaded the bases for DeJesus. DeJesus’ single into left brought home Todd and Duggan to close the Chants within four at 11-7. Kevin Regan came in and closed the door, striking out two of the three hitters he faced.
Lance Cole (6-2) picked up the win after throwing 5.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits and six walks. Cole also struck out five. Regan picked up his first save of the season, hurling the final two innings.
Shefka (8-2) took the loss, getting roughed up for 10 runs on nine hits in only 2.2 innings of work.
Bennett finished the night with three hits in four at bats, scoring one run and driving in another for Elon. Erickson’s 2-for-4 night extended his hitting streak to 14 games. He scored once and had three RBI. Vasami (2-for-5, run, RBI) and Weaver (2-for-3, two runs, RBI) also had two-hit nights for the Phoenix.
Todd posted a four-hit night for the Chants, finishing 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Duggan was 3-for-6 with three runs scored and two driven in. Both DeJesus (2-for-4, run, three RBI) and Verrett (2-for-5) had multiple hits for Coastal.
The two teams will square off again tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m. from Latham Park in game two of the three game series.
-- ELON -- Game Box Score
