Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Elon Phoenix baseball team trimmed a seven-run deficit to just one late in the game, but could not come any closer as the Georgia Southern Eagles eliminated the maroon and gold from the 2012 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament in a 10-7 game.

Trailing 8-1 entering the last of the seventh, the Phoenix (33-26) came storming back.  Sebastian Gomez got it started with a double down the left field line.  Jake Luce followed with an infield single to put runners at the corners before the bags became loaded when pinch-hitter Joey Tomko walked.  Chris Bresnahan delivered the first maroon and gold marker of the inning by grounding a ball through the right side.  Sam Paone made it an 8-3 game with a ground out to first before Quinn Bower drove home Tomko with a single to left.  A Georgia Southern throwing error let Quinn Bower reach second on brother Blaine Bower's ground ball.  The fifth Phoenix run of the contest scored on that play.  Another Eagle miscue on a play at second kept the inning alive and loaded the bases for Ryan Kinsella who bounced one through the right side to drive home two to make it an 8-7 game.

Georgia Southern (33-26) immediately responded as Eric Phillips led off with a single before Chase Griffin tripled him home with a ball down the right field line.  Garren Palmer followed with a RBI single and just like that the Eagles were back in front by a 10-7 margin.

"I’m extremely proud of our club," said Elon head coach Mike Kennedy.  "After going down 19-2 in the first game, we bounced back, we responded and we played hard.  We fought tooth and nail today in the seventh, after going down 8-1.  We didn’t quit.  I’m excited for the future of this program."

The Eagles got the scoring going in the top of the first as Scooter Williams drew a walk and would later score on a Griffin single.  Georgia Southern threatened to score more, but the Phoenix was able to turn a 6-4-3 double play with the bases loaded to end the inning.

T.D. Davis started the GSU fourth with a single through the left side, went to second on an error on a pickoff attempt and to third on a ground out.  Tyler Avera's grounder to the left side got under the glove of a drawn in Elon infielder for a single to plate the second Eagle run of the game.

Alex Swim reached on a one-out single in the bottom of the fourth, stole second and went to third on an error before scoring on a Kinsella sacrifice fly.

The Eagles came right back in the fifth, scoring four times to open up a 6-1 lead.  Palmer and Avera both had RBI singles while Michael Burruss drove in two with a bases-loaded single.  GSU tacked on two more in the sixth.

Elon starter Kyle Webb (4-4) took the loss after giving up six runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings.

GSU's Will Middour (3-3) was the winner.  He surrendered two runs (one earned) on five hits in six frames.  Kyle Rowe threw 2.2 scoreless innings to collect his sixth save of the year.

Both Quinn Bower and Bresnahan had two-hit outings for the Phoenix.  Kinsella drove in three.  For the tournament, Kinsella hit .563 (9-for-16) with 10 RBI on his way to all-tournament honors.

Swim had one hit on the day, giving him 86 on the year - tied for the third-highest single-season total in program history.  His 222 career hits have him ninth in Elon's record book.