Box Score

HIGH POINT, N.C. -- The Elon Phoenix twice rallied on its way to a 13-10 non-league baseball victory over the High Point Panthers from Williard Stadium on Tuesday evening.  The win was the third straight for the Phoenix which improved to 3-1 on the year while High Point fell to 0-5.

With the game tied at 10 in the ninth inning, Elon pushed across three runs, including the game-winner which was balked in.  In the bottom of the frame, Thomas Girdwood came on and slammed the door shut to earn his first save of the year.

Ryan Retz gave High Point the lead in the bottom of the first by belting a 1-2 pitch over the fence in right with two outs.

The Panthers kept the pressure up in the second as Zach Tessier led the frame off with a walk ahead of a Mike Gragilla single.  After a sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third, Murray White IV's single hit off the umpire.  By rule, neither of the other two runners were allowed to advance.  An infield fly tallied the second out, but Sal Pezzino added to the High Point lead with a two-RBI single to left that plated both Tessier and Gragilla.  Elon looked like it would be out of the inning when Retz sent a fly ball to left that was dropped and allowed White to cross the plate with the fourth HPU run of the game.

Elon got on the board in the third inning.  Jake Luce led off with a double down the left field line and went to third on Niko Fraser's bloop single to right-center.  Alex Swim's grounder to first brought home Luce and advanced Fraser to second as the Phoenix cut its deficit to 4-1.

Harry Austin started the Elon half of the fifth off by being hit by a pitch and going to third on a hit-and-run single off the bat of Luce.  Austin then scored to make it 4-2 on a safety squeeze from Fraser.  Swim loaded the bases with his infield single, forcing the Panthers to go to the bullpen.  Ryan Kinsella followed with a grounder to third and the Panthers threw home, but the catcher was not on the plate when making the catch so Luce scored to make it 4-3.  The Phoenix then moved in front 5-4 on Seth Canipe's single through the left side of the infield which drove home both Fraser and Swim.  The Phoenix loaded the bags back up when Grant McCoury drew a walk.  HPU went to the pen again and the third Panther hurler of the frame promptly walked Cyle Rasmus to force home Kinsella with the fifth run of the inning.  Canipe came home with the seventh Elon run on a Garrett Koster ground ball that erased Rasmus for the first out of at bat.  A wild pitch sent Koster to second before Austin was hit for the second time in the fifth to fill the bases once again.  Luce drew another bases-loaded walk to force McCoury home as the Phoenix built an 8-4 advantage.  Yet another walk with the bags full, this one to Fraser, brought home Koster with the ninth tally.  Elon made it 10-4 on Swim's single to left that plated Austin.

High Point's half of the sixth began with singles from Tessier and Mike Gessinger around a walk to Gragilla to load the bases.  White followed with an infield single to score Tessier.  The Panthers made it a 10-6 game when Mike Mercurio singled to center to drive home Gragilla.  Pezzino's soft single to left scored another as Gessinger crossed the plate and pulled HPU within three at 10-7.  Retz picked up a RBI on a ground out to short as White raced home.  The Panthers closed the gap to 10-9 on a ground out off the bat of Steve Antolik when Mercurio scored.  With the tying run on third, Jared Kernodle got Joe Mahoney to strike out looking to end the threat.

White started the Panther eighth with a double to the gap in right-center before Mercurio's bunt single put runners on the corners for Pezzino.  With Mercurio in motion, Pezzino grounded a ball to short and was retired, but HPU tied the game as White scored.

Elon responded by having Koster reach on a dropped pop up to start the ninth.  After a passed ball moved Koster to second, Austin lined a double to left to put runners on second and third.  The Phoenix regained the lead thanks to a balk that let Koster score.  The balk was immediately followed by a wild pitch to bring home Austin as the Elon built a 12-10 lead.  Pinch-hitter Neal Pritchard singled off the Panther third baseman and went to second when the ball was thrown away at first.  With pinch-runner David Wood on second, Swim grounded a ball to short that was also thrown away at first, allowing Wood to score Elon's 13th run and Swim to end up on second.

Three Elon players - Luce, Fraser and Swim - all had two-hit games while Fraser, Swim and Canipe all drove in two runs for the Phoenix.  Austin scored three times during his 1-for-2 performance.

Pezzino drove in four runs with a 2-for-5 day to lead the Panthers.

Kernodle (1-1) was the winner after allowing six runs on seven hits in three innings.  Girdwood walked one, but did not allow a hit in the ninth.

Freshman David Whitehead was solid in his first collegiate start for the Phoenix, lasting five innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits.

Kyle Wigmore (0-2) took the loss and surrendered two runs on a hit in two innings out of the bullpen.