ELON, N.C. – Down 2-0 after the first inning against Presbyterian on Tuesday afternoon, the Elon University baseball team's bats ignited. The offense proceeded to string together 16 unanswered runs on 16 hits, led by a career-high four RBI from junior center fielder
Tank Yaghoubi.
Entering the home opener, the energy from the Phoenix dugout was buzzing. After a three-game series in College Station against No. 1 Texas A&M, Yaghoubi said the team was looking forward to being back in Elon and playing at Latham Park.
"Vibes were at an all-time high coming back from College Station," Yaghoubi said. "We lost three games but we still played some good baseball. We're just happy to be home and to show out for our fans."
Trailing to begin the game, Yaghoubi and the Phoenix bats went to work in the bottom of the second. He registered his first RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly which scored junior left fielder Jackson Alford. Elon tacked on another run to even the score at 2-2.
"We're not worried. 2-0 early in the game, not really a big deal," Yaghoubi said. "We just put together some good at-bats, got on base, got in scoring position and just put the bat on the ball. Put it in play and see where it goes."
The team continued with its mentality at the plate, scoring four runs in the bottom of the third, two of which were courtesy of Yaghoubi's single to center field.
Elon scored another six runs before Yaghoubi finished his night with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. He went 2-3 with a career-high four RBI but credited his teammates for making his efforts possible.
"Our team did a really good job of getting on base, getting in scoring position," Yaghoubi said. "It made my life easy, just putting the ball in play. Grateful to get some hits, but it's all about them."
Eight of nine Phoenix starters registered a hit on the night, four of which recorded multi-hit games. By the end of the game, 10 players contributed to the 16 total hits and nine players combined to score the 16 runs.
"I think it's just all about our eyes and what pitches we're swinging at," Yaghoubi said. "We don't really swing outside of the zone, so we're getting something good to hit and we're just capitalizing on their pitching and what we have as a team."
The 16-3 victory over the Blue Hose marked Elon's first win of the season. The Phoenix will return to Latham Park for its first home series this weekend, facing Binghamton on Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
"We're excited to be home this weekend," Yaghoubi said. "We're just going to carry this win into the weekend and see where it goes."
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
--ELON--
