Box Score GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Making just the third start of his career, Andrew MacDonald threw a complete game and struck out a career-high seven hitters as the Elon Phoenix eliminated the Furman Paladins from the 2013 Southern Conference Tournament by an 8-1 score.

MacDonald (4-1) allowed five of his seven hits in the first three innings of play.  He did not allow a hit in between a leadoff single in the third and a leadoff single in the ninth.  It was the first complete game of the senior's career and just the second by an Elon pitcher this season.  He faced seven over the minimum.

"Andrew MacDonald was outstanding tonight," said Elon skipper Mike Kennedy.  "We haven't had to use him in that role, but we should have, seeing what I saw tonight.  He's been great all year."

Furman (32-25) was first to get on the board, scoring once in the top of the first.  Hunter Burton hit the first pitch of the game down the left field line for a double and moved to third on a Will Muzika single.  A double play ball then scored Burton with the game's first tally.

In the last of the second, Elon (29-28) loaded the bases thanks to one-out walks to Casey Jones and Antonio Alvarez and a Danny Lynch single.  Chris King then drew the third walk of the inning to force in Jones to tie the game.  The Phoenix moved on top by a 2-1 margin when Alvarez scored on a Chris Bresnahan sacrifice fly.

The score remained 2-1 until the last of the sixth when Sebastian Gomez led off with a shallow fly ball to center.  The outfielder did not see the ball and it fell for a double.  A wild pitch then let Gomez head to third before a one-out passed ball let him race home with the third Elon run of the night.

Elon loaded the bags again in the seventh on its way to blowing the game open.  Bresnahan and Quinn Bower got it started with walks before a sac bunt advanced them both.  Furman elected to issue an intentional walk to SoCon Player of the Year Ryan Kinsella to load the bases for Gomez who promptly lined the first pitch he saw into center for a single that drove home Bresnahan.  Jones followed that by sending an 0-2 pitch through the right side to plate Bower as the Phoenix built a 5-1 lead.  Two more scored when Alvarez singled up the middle.  On the throw in to third, Alvarez was able to head to second.  Pinch-hitter Niko Fraser delivered the fourth consecutive single as he lined a pitch to right that drove home the eighth Phoenix run of the evening.

Gomez finished the night 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.

The loss went to Furman's Tyler Wood (2-2) who lasted just two innings and gave up two runs on one hit and three walks.

Third-seeded Elon advances to play Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against seventh-seeded Georgia Southern.  The Phoenix will need to defeat the Eagles twice on Saturday to advance to Sunday's league title contest.