North Charleston, S.C. – Elon suffered their first loss of the 2026 season at the hands of Charleston Southern Friday night. The Phoenix was bested 7-4 at Nielsen Field in North Charleston.
Brian DuRoff had his best game in an Elon uniform with a three-hit night. DuRoff hit his second home run in as many games and fell a triple away from the cycle.
Jackson Alford continued his hot start with a home run of his own and stole a pair of bases.
Brian Strange gave the Phoenix 5.2 innings on the mound and added a new season high seven strikeouts.
Elon falls to 4-1 on the season while Charleston Southern improves to 5-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Elon scratched a run across in the first inning on the back of Jackson Alford. Alford reached on a single then advanced to second on a wild pitch before stealing third. Alford scored on a double steal later in the inning.
- Charleston Southern answered in the second inning with a single run. The Buccaneers added three runs in the bottom of the third on three solo home runs to take a 4-1 lead.
- The Phoenix countered with a run in the top of the fourth. DuRoff singled home Jose Mariano after a Mariano one-out double.
- DuRoff continued his strong game in the sixth inning. DuRoff blasted his second home run of the season with a towering fly ball to left center to bring Elon within a run.
- Following two Charleston Southern runs in the sixth, Jackson Alford got one of the runs back with a solo shot of his own to bring the deficit back to two.
- The Buccaneers would add another run in the seventh to take back a three-run lead. CSU would hold the three-run lead for the rest of the evening and claim the 7-4 win.
QUICK HITS
- Elon falls to 4-1 on the season.
- Brian DuRoff delivered his second home run in as many games on Friday. After a 0-for-6 start to his season, DuRoff is now 6-for-9 over his last three games.
- Jackson Alford hit his first home run of the season. It is the 8th home run of his Elon career. Alford stole two bags on Friday, bringing his tally to five.
- Nate Sterling added a single to his season total and threw out two runners from behind the plate.
- Brian Strange struck out a season high seven batters against CSU.
- Kehler Hamilton delivered 1.2 innings of scoreless relief out of the bullpen.
UP NEXT
Elon will return to the diamond tomorrow morning for game two. First pitch between the Phoenix and Buccaneers will be at 11 AM.
SUPPORT THE PHOENIX
Fans can support Elon Athletics through the
Phoenix Club.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Elon Baseball, follow the Phoenix on X and Instagram (@ElonBaseball).
