ELON, N.C. – Ryan Addison’s homerun to left in the bottom of the eighth inning propelled the Elon Phoenix to a 7-5 baseball victory over Wake Forest in front of 621 fans at Latham Park on Tuesday night. The win, the 300th of Elon skipper Mike Kennedy’s (
below left) career, improved the Phoenix to 26-11 while the Demon Deacons dipped to 24-12.
Back-to-back solo shots from Chris Price and Chris Vasami got the Phoenix started in the bottom of the first. For Price, it was his ninth homer of the year while Vasami’s blast was his seventh of the season.
The Deacons answered in the second when Grant Achilles lifted a sac fly to leftcenter to plate Evan Ocheltree who had singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a double from Tyler Smith.
Wake loaded the bases in the fourth with two walks and an infield single. With one out, Achilles lifted a ball to left for what should have been a sacrifice fly, but the ball was dropped by Price and the Deacons evened the score. Two runs scored to give Wake the lead on a single up the middle from Eric Williams that plated both Austin Jones and Smith. A sac fly from Allan Dykstra brought home Achilles with the fourth run of the frame.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Elon loaded the bases on three straight walks from reliever Andrew Knox. Knox then gave way to Sean Souders who got Adam Weaver to ground out, but Paul Bennett was able to score on the play to trim the Wake Forest lead to 5-3.
Elon evened the score at five in the sixth inning when Grant Rembert followed Vasami’s single with his third homer of the season, a bomb over the wall in left.
Robert Rodebaugh led off the bottom of the eighth with a double to right. Austin Boehme pinch-ran for Rodebaugh and was able to jog home as Addison lifted his fifth homer of the season just to the left of the scoreboard in leftcenter to give Elon a 7-5 edge.
The Deacons got runners on the corners with one out in the ninth before Phoenix closer Chad Tilley fanned Woodall and got Ocheltree to ground out to end the game.
Jesse Lewter (2-1) picked up the victory after throwing 4.2 innings in relief. Lewter allowed no runs on two hits. Tilley threw the final inning for the save.
Ben Hunter (1-1) took the loss after surrendering two run on two hits in one inning of work in relief.
Rembert and Addison each tallied two RBI on the night while Weaver and Vasami both had two hits for the Phoenix.
Wake’s Dyksta and Smith each had two hits.
The Phoenix returns to SoCon action this weekend as The Citadel visits Latham Park. Friday’s first pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.
-- ELON -- Game Box Score
