Box Score CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- Three Western Carolina players recorded two RBI as the Catamounts handed the Elon Phoenix a 7-5 setback in the series opener of a key Southern Conference baseball series on Friday afternoon.  The loss snapped Elon's five-game winning streak.

Elon (12-9, 5-5 SoCon) got on the board first when Ryan Kinsella belted his team-leading seventh homer of the season over the right field wall.  Also scoring on the blast was Antonio Alvarez who was aboard following a two-out double.

The Catamounts (13-5, 5-2) got one back in the bottom of the first when Julian Ridings drove home Aaron Attaway. 

Western Carolina would grab the lead with a three-run third before making it a 6-2 game with two more in the fourth.  In the third, an Elon error allowed Bradley Strong to reach to start the frame.  After an Attaway single put runners on the corners, Tyler White slpped a one-out single through the right side of the infield to tie the game.  Ridings followed with a RBI double.  On the play, White came in as the Phoenx threw behind Ridings at second to make it 4-2.  Strong added a two-run homer in the fourth to extend the lead.

The Phoenix came back with two in the fifth.  With runners on the corners, a wild pitch scored Blaine Bower before Alex Swim scored on a ground ball from Alvarez.

Elon made it a 6-5 contest in the seventh when Swim walked and made his way to third on two wild pitches before scoring on a Kinsella ground out.

A sacrifice fly from White pushed the Catamount edge back to two runs in the last of the seventh.

Elon put runners on the corners with one out in the ninth before Preston Hatcher struck out the next two hitters to earn his fifth save of the season.

Dylan Clark (2-2) took the loss after he allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits in 6.2 innings.  Elon pitchers did not issue a walk on the day.

Picking up the win was Western's Jeremy Null (2-1).  Null gave up four runs on six hits in six innings.

Offensively for Elon, Swim, Bower and Joey Tomko all had two-hit games.

The maroon and gold will look to even the series in game two which is set for a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday afternoon.