ELON, N.C. – Three home runs, including two by Brett Guba, powered the offense for the Elon University baseball team as the Phoenix defeated the Liberty Flames 10-5 at Latham Park on Tuesday, March 8.

Guba finished the day 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI for Elon (6-7). Tyler McVicar also homered and drove in five runs with a 3-for-5 performance. Nick Zammarelli added two doubles and scored three times for the Phoenix.

Liberty's (7-6) Sammy Taormina was 1-for-2 with a three-run homer, while D.J Artis went 2-for-4 to pace the Flames.

Sean Byrnes (1-0) allowed three runs on six hits in 4.0 innings to earn his first win of the season. Ryan Conroy tossed the final 3.1 innings and did not allow a run as he claimed the first save of his career.

Liberty starter Geoffrey Murphy (0-1) was charged with the loss after surrendering three runs on four hits in 2.0 innings of action.

How It Happened: After Liberty failed to score in the top of the first despite loading the bases with no outs, Elon got an RBI single from McVicar in the bottom of the frame to grab the early 1-0 lead.

The Flames tied it at one in the second on Payton Scarbrough's homer down the left field line only to see the Phoenix score twice in the last of the second. After the first two hitters of the inning were retired, CJ Young was hit by a pitch and scored on Zammarelli's second double of the day. Kyle Jackson followed that up with an RBI single as the maroon and gold moved on top by a 3-1 margin.

After scoring a single run in the last of the third, Elon erupted for four runs in the fourth. Again with two outs and two on, McVicar crushed a 1-2 pitch deep over the wall in left for his second home run of the year. Guba followed by jacking his first of the season over the wall in right to make it 8-1.

Liberty cut its deficit to 8-5 in the sixth. With runners on the corners, a wild pitch allowed the Flames' second run to score. After a walk, Taorimina hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer.

Guba struck again in the seventh, leading off the inning with a shot to right-center. Elon added one in the eighth as McVicar drove in his fifth of the day with a single. 

Quotable: "I thought offensively, our approach was way better than it was over the weekend. We tried to stay in the middle of the field, which we made a priority in practice Monday." – Elon head coach Mike Kennedy

Notes: McVicar's five RBI were a career best... Guba's two-homer game was the first of his career... Elon recorded eight two-out RBI and hit .400 (6-for-15) with runners in scoring position.

On Deck: Elon will conclude its seven-game homestand with a three-game series against The Citadel this weekend. Game one is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday, March 11.