ELON, N.C .- The Elon University softball team continued its hot start to the season Saturday afternoon, Feb. 19, at East Field in the Elon Invitational earning a 5-0 victory over the Dayton Flyers and a 15-2 victory over the Morgan State Bears.
The Phoenix (6-1) received a complete-game shutout from Lauren Taylor against Dayton in game one before exploding for 12 runs in the first two innings of action in game two against MSU.
Game 1
Taylor continued her dominating start to the season, hurling a six-hit shutout. Taylor moved to 4-0 on the year and earned her second win of the weekend after tallying seven strikeouts and not allowing Dayton to reach third base until the final inning.
After a quiet first two innings, Elon finally got going in the third and put three runs on the board. Hannah Shelton registered the Phoenix’s first hit the game with a single up the middle before Tomeka Watson followed with an infield single. After a Dayton miscue in the field advanced both runners up one base, Jackie Gonzalez tripled down the left field line that cleared the bases and gave the Phoenix a 2-0 lead. The maroon and gold tacked on one more in third and an additional run in the fourth to go ahead 4-0.
After Emerald Graham began the fifth inning with a leadoff single, #Erin O’Shea singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. Kaitlyn Piazzolla# brought home Graham with a RBI groundout to the pitcher to eventually give the Phoenix a 5-0 lead, one it would not relinquish in the final two innings.
The Flyers (0-2) did not touch third base until seventh when they put runners on the corners with two outs, but Taylor squandered Dayton’s best scoring opportunity by getting a called third strike for the final out of the game.
Gonzalez led the way offensively for the Phoenix after going 3-for-4 with three RBI.
Game 2
Elon got ahead early and never looked back in the second game after putting up a five-spot in its first at bat. Elon loaded the bases with no outs after the first three batters reached base. Graham drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly to right that allowed each runner to advance a base. Carleigh Nester followed with a two-run double to left center and Pam DelPizzo then singled to put runners at the corners. Morgan Wright doubled down the left field line to drive in two more runs for the Phoenix that opened up a 5-0 advantage.
Morgan State (4-4) countered in the second with one run after Lydia Rodriguez started the inning with a walk and eventually came in to score on a RBI single by Shareday Christina to get on the board. The Bears went on to load the bases later in the inning, but could not plate any more additional runs and Elon’s four-run lead remained intact.
Elon came right back and stayed hot in the second to break the game open with eight runs on six hits. Elon batted through the entire lineup for the second consecutive inning and sent thirteen hitters to the plate. The Phoenix loaded the bases on a Watson single, an error on the shortstop, and a walk to Graham. Nester then came up with the big blow of the inning on a three-run double to right center pushing her RBI total for the game to five. A walk by DelPizzo following the Nester double set up the second big hit of the inning off the bat of Wright with a three-run home run over the left field fence. Elon tacked on two more runs before ending the inning increasing the maroon and gold advantage to 13-1.
In her next at bat, Wright smashed her second home run of the game and sixth RBI with a solo shot over the left field fence in the third to make it 14-1.
Wright and Nester led the way offensively for the Phoenix, accounting for 11 of Elon’s 15 RBI. Wright went 3-for-3 with two homers, while Nester went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles.
Kari Pervell (1-0) picked up the win in relief for the Phoenix after pitching three innings allowing one run on four hits. DelPizzo started for Elon and gave up one run on two hits in two innings of work.
The Phoenix looks to increase its winning streak to five games and wrap up the Elon Invitational tomorrow afternoon with a game against Dayton at 2:30 p.m.
-- ELON --
