Box Score

ELON, N.C. -- David Whitehead matched a season-high with six strikeouts and tossed the first complete game of his career to keep the Elon Phoenix alive in the Southern Conference Tournament as the maroon and gold claimed a 7-3 victory over The Citadel on Friday afternoon.

Third-seeded Elon (33-25) advances to the tournament semifinals and a rematch with sixth-seeded Georgia Southern on Saturday at 10 a.m.  The Phoenix must win that game to force a another showdown with the Eagles on Saturday evening.

Whitehead (5-3) scattered eight hits and did not walk a batter while throwing 123 pitches in the victory.  He is the first starting pitcher in the tournament to work more than seven innings.

“The performance on the mound by Whitehead was incredible," said Elon skipper Mike Kennedy.  "Everything we needed to get done today from a pitching stand point, came through.  It gives us a chance.  I was really pleased.  We also had good at bats.  We have great character on our team.  It was a great team effort."

For the second straight day Elon took advantage of its opponent's miscues to grab an early lead.  After Quinn Bower had singled and stolen second, Ryan Kinsella bounced a ball in the hole between first and second that was fielded by the second baseman.  Kinsella beat the throw to first for the single, but the toss sailed to the Bulldog dugout allowing Quinn Bower to score the game's first run.

Alex Swim led off the Phoenix fourth with a single up the middle and headed to third on a Kinsella single to right.  Sebastian Gomez's one-out double to left-center plated Swim to make it a 2-0 game.  Joey Tomko's second home run of the season stayed just inside the foul pole and cleared the Green Monster down the left field line as the maroon and gold stretched its edge to 4-0.

The Phoenix put up another three-spot in the fifth as Swim singled home Blaine Bower and then trotted home on Kinsella's homer to left, his eight bomb of the season.

The Citadel (25-33) got on the board in the sixth inning as Mason Davis scored on Justin Mackert's double to center.  After Mackert went to third on a fly out and then scored on a grounder to second to make it a 7-2 game.  The grounder was hit by Bo Thompson who was safe at first when the ball was misplayed.

The Bulldogs tacked on their final run in the ninth on a Drew DeKerlegand single.

Logan Cribb (3-4) took the loss by giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits in just 4.2 innings.

Kinsella went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI.  Swim's two-hit performance moved him past Chase Austin and into ninth place on Elon's all-time hits chart.  Swim now has 221 career hits.