DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Elon Phoenix jumped on top of the Davidson Wildcats in the first inning and went on to pick up a 10-5 Southern Conference baseball victory from Wilson Field on Thursday afternoon. With the three game sweep, Elon improved to 38-16 overall and 19-8 in SoCon play, but more importantly, kept its league title hopes alive. Davidson dropped to 10-36, 2-22.
Chris Dove got things going in Elon’s first at bat with a walk. Dove then swiped second before Donny Jobe drew a four-pitch walk. Dove got to third on a Harrilchak fly out to center. The Phoenix then pulled off the double steal as Jobe took second and Dove stole home with the first run. With Jobe moving from second, Bennett Davis collected RBI number 64 on the season with a single through the left side.
Dove began the third with a single and took second for his third steal of the game. After Dove took third, Jobe walked, bringing Cory Harrilchak to the dish. After Jobe stole second, Harrilchak singled through the right side, plating both runners to build a 4-0 Phoenix lead. With the single, Harrilchak has now reached base in 25 consecutive outings. After Dallas Tarleton singled, Elon got runners on second and third with a wild pitch. Mike Lobacz then lined a single to the leftfield wall to score both Harrilchak and Tarleton.
The Phoenix added two more in the fourth when Tarleton laced a two-out, bases-loaded single up the middle to score both Harry Austin and Dove.
Davidson loaded the bases with one out thanks to singles from Brett Shore, Zach Kayne and Danny Weiss. Chase FitzPatrick then delivered Shore and Kayne with a liner into left-center. Weiss came in with run number three when Harrilchak, attempting to turn a double play, threw the ball into centerfield.
After Jobe walked to begin the sixth, Davis lined a one-out double to the gap in left to plate the runner. Davis then came in on Tarleton’s single to right.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Chris FitzPatrick singled. Hugh Eden was then plunked before Shore singled to left, scoring Chris FitzPatrick.
Eden’s ground out in the ninth scored Sam Payne who had hit a pinch-hit double to lead off the frame.
Harrilchak (6-3) allowed just three runs, two of which were earned, on six hits over 6.0 innings of work to pick up the victory. He did not walk a hitter and struck out five.
Zac Long (1-6) lasted just 2.0 innings and was charged with five runs on four hits. He walked three and fanned one.
Harrilchak, Davis and Tarleton combined to go 7-for-13 with three runs scored and seven RBI, leading the Elon offensive attack. Lobacz also had two hits and drove in two. Dove was 2-for-5 with three runs scored and four steals. Davis now has 65 RBI on the year, three shy of Elon’s single-season record of 68 set by Evan Erickson in 2005.
The Wildcats were led by two-hit performances from Shore and Weiss and a two-RBI game by Chase FitzPatrick.
Elon will conclude its regular season with a 2 p.m. contest against Wake Forest from Latham Park on Tuesday afternoon.
– ELON –
