HICKORY, N.C. – Elon’s Will Romanowicz recorded the team's first complete game and first shutout of the season while striking out a career-best eight hitters to lead the Phoenix to a 5-0 Southern Conference baseball victory over the Appalachian State Mountaineers from L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, Elon claimed the series and improved to 12-10 overall and 2-1 in SoCon play. The Mountaineers fell to 11-10, 1-2. The Phoenix went on top in the fourth inning. Ryan Addison led off the frame with an infield single and advanced to second when Chase Austin walked. Both runners moved up a base on Matt Hill’s sacrifice bunt before Jordy Snyder’s single to center plated Addison. After Adam Weaver reached on a fielder’s choice that eliminated Austin at the plate, Robert Rodebaugh hit his third homer in as many games, a three-run blast that cleared the wall in right-center. It was Rodebaugh’s sixth home run of the season.
With runners on the corners and two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Rodebaugh popped a ball up on the center of the infield that was dropped by ASU pitcher Adam Mills and allowed Snyder to score from third with Elon’s fifth run of the game.
Romanowicz upped his record to 2-1 and scattered seven hits and two walks in the victory.
Aubrey Edens was tagged with the loss, falling to 1-1 on the year. Edens allowed three runs on three hits in 3.2 innings of work.
Rodebaugh’s three RBI paced the Phoenix while Snyder was the lone Elon hitter to have a multi-hit outing, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI. Drew Davis saw his 16-game hitting streak come to an end after an 0-for-4 day at the plate.
Isaac Harrow and Nick DeRose each recorded two hits for Appalachian State.
Both squads squandered opportunities with Elon stranding 11 men and ASU leaving nine runners on base.
Elon will continue its eight-game road swing with a single game on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. in Conway, S.C. against the 15th-ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
– ELON –
