ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team won its 12^th straight game on its home diamond with a 9-1 victory over UNCW on Friday evening, April 25, to kick off its CAA series at Hunt Softball Park.
 
Elon moved to 26-16 on the season and improved to 18-4 in the CAA. The 18 league wins are the most for the program in school history. UNCW fell to 24-21 and 10-12 versus league opponents.
 
At the Plate
• Elon had seven hits in the game with seven different players recording at least one base knock. Reagan Hartley was 2-of-3 in the game with a pair of RBI while Allee Seering also drove in a pair of runs.
• Kaitlyn Wells added an RBI to her stat line – the 50^th of the season. She becomes the first player in school history to achieve 50 or more RBI in a single season.
 
In the Circle
• McKenna McCard moved to 10-3 with the complete-game win. The senior allowed no earned runs with a pair of strikeouts.
 
The Rundown
• The Seahawks got into scoring position in the top of the first. UNCW drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a single to left. The Seahawks tried to advance to third on a stolen base, but Mary Moss Wirt was able to throw out the runner to end the inning.
• UNCW reached scoring position again in the top half of the second. The Seahawks got on via a two-out double and advanced to third on a passed ball. Elon was able to get out of the inning after McCard induced the third out on a fly out.
• Elon finally struck first on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. The Phoenix loaded the bases with no outs after putting ducks on the pond via a single, an error and a walk. A pair of sac flies by Allee Seering and Gabi Schaal plated a pair of runs as Elon took a 2-0 lead.
• The Phoenix added to its lead in the bottom of the fourth. Elon opened the frame with a walk and before having two reach on an error off a fielder's choice. Both runners moved into scoring position after a wild pitch before Reagan Hartley drove in a run on a grounder. Seering then added her second RBI of the game on a single to left, scoring Wirt before three more runs came across on a Kaitlyn Wells single to right aided by a couple of errors to put the Phoenix ahead 7-0.
• The Seahawks got a run back in the top half of the fifth. UNCW hit a leadoff single before scoring on a Phoenix error to trim Elon's lead to 7-1.
• The Phoenix quickly brushed off that miscue with a two-run home half of the fifth. Hatzopoulos drilled a solo home run to left center to give Elon back its seven-run cushion, 8-1. Payton Swart followed with a single up the middle before she scored on Hartley's double to right center, giving the Phoenix the 9-1 victory via run-rule.
 
On Deck
• The Phoenix and the Seahawks play game two of the series tomorrow, April 26, beginning at 2 p.m.