ELON, N.C. – After Elon University baseball battled back from an early 3-0 deficit to get to within a run, No. 17 East Carolina pulled away late to take the midweek game 7-2 on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at Latham Park. The Phoenix falls to 6-2 with the loss.
 
AT THE PLATE
Garrett Stonehouse finished 2-for-3 at the plate as the senior doubled, scored a run, and drove in another. Matt Oldham went 1-for-3 and picked up an RBI, Jack Roberts also posted a 1-for-3 effort, and J.P. Sponseller collected the other hit with a 1-for-4 outing. The freshman also touched home for the team's other run.

ON THE MOUND
Starter Ian Evans falls to 0-2 on the season after getting tagged for three runs on seven hits. The Lockport, N.Y. native recorded one strikeout through 6.0 innings. Jayson Arendt, Daniel Albrittain, Owen Lorenz, Adam Spurlin, Sean O'Connell, and Maxx Harpalani all made appearances out of the pen.

THE RUNDOWN
The Pirates (7-1) got off to a quick start with three runs in the top of the first inning. After the leadoff man singled up the middle, a failed pickoff attempt allowed the runner to advance to third. A ground out to short then opened the scoring. Evans fielded a weak grounder to Sponseller for out number two, but another single and a big fly over the wall in left center gave the visitors the 3-0 lead.

From there, the game turned into a pitchers battle between Evans and what was a bullpen day for ECU. After settling down and blanking the Pirates through the next five innings, the freshman hurler turned the ball over to the bullpen. It looked like the guests would extend their lead in the seventh with runners in scoring position, but Lorenz was able to get a batter to swing and miss for the second out. With Spurlin now on the mound, a pitch got past Nick Cicci, but the maroon and gold recovered as Spurlin applied the tag at home.

Elon's offense finally started clicking in the home half of the frame. With two away, Sponseller lined a 1-0 pitch to left for a single. Stonehouse then followed with a double over the head of the center fielder to plate the first run of the game for the Phoenix. Following a call to the pen, Oldham greeted the ECU reliever with a single through the right side. Stonehouse was waved home and Elon was back to within a run at 3-2.

The momentum was wrestled right back, though, as ECU hung a four-spot in the top of the eighth. With runners on first and second and a 3-1 count, the Pirates put on the double steal. O'Connell's pitch missed its mark and the batter walked, but Cicci fired to third to try to get the lead runner. The throw got past Stonehouse, and the error allowed one run to come in. Now with runners on the corners, a sacrifice fly to center plated another run. After a single to center again placed runners on the corners, ECU pulled off the sac bunt for another tally. A balk and a wild pitch then scored the final run in the game.

NOTES
-The game marked the first appearance of the season for Albrittain and the first appearance for Harpalani while wearing the maroon and gold.
-Hennings made his first start of the season at short stop.
-The loss marked Elon's first at Latham Park this season.
-Cicci threw out a runner trying to steal in the top of the sixth. It marked the third game in a row that an Elon catcher has thrown out a runner.
-Elon and ECU will meet again for a 6:30 p.m. game on March 10 in Greenville, N.C.

UP NEXT
Elon hosts Indiana State this Friday through Sunday, Feb. 28-March 1 for a three-game series at Latham Park.