ELON – The Elon softball team withstood a late rally in the top of the sixth inning but held on to earn a 7-6 victory over Lehigh on Saturday in its second game of the weekend at Hunt Softball Park.
 
The Phoenix (8-17) nearly saw its 7-0 lead erased by the Mountain Hawks (14-10) after a six-run sixth frame but secured its first win in two meetings versus Lehigh.
 
At the Plate

• The Phoenix had a strong day at the plate, registering eight hits with seven RBI and a pair of doubles. Elon left four runners on base.
• Five players recorded at least one hit, with three players posting multi-hit games. Greta Hessenthaler, Payton Swart and Teagan Baulsir all went 2-for-3 at the dish, with Hessenthaler and Baulsir adding doubles to their stat lines. All three also drove in an RBI.
• Mauri Murray hit her first home run of the season, a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning. It was her first homer since May 3, 2024, versus Drexel. Her four RBI also led the Phoenix.

In the Circle

• Chana Wolfe earned the win in the circle for the Phoenix, improving to 1-10 on the year. The senior allowed four earned runs in 5.0 innings of action and struck out two batters. Prior to the sixth inning, Wolfe had held the Mountain Hawks to one hit.
• Lia Miller came on in relief of Wolfe to record her first save of the season. The junior pitched 2.0 scoreless frames, allowing only one hit.

The Rundown
Elon got the scoring started in the bottom of the first. Lani Wyrick walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a pop-up recorded the second out, Hessenthaler drove Wyrick home on an RBI double to right center, giving the Phoenix a 1-0 lead.
 
The Phoenix put up four more runs in the bottom of the second thanks to Murray's grand slam. Elon put runners on base with one out before a strikeout recorded the second out. Murray then worked a full count before connecting on a ball to deep left field, giving the Phoenix a 5-0 advantage.
 
Two more runs came across for Elon in the home half of the third. Swart pushed home Hessenthaler with one out before Baulsir added another run on a single to center, scoring Swart. That gave the Phoenix a 7-0 lead heading to the fourth inning.
 
After both teams were quiet in the fourth and fifth innings, Lehigh began a rally and threatened the Phoenix's lead. The Mountain Hawks scored six straight runs and had the tying run on third with one out following a sacrifice bunt. Miller, however, worked out of the jam, forcing a pair of flyouts to leave the inning with the lead intact at 7-6.
 
Lehigh made one final push in the seventh as a batter reached on a double with two outs, putting the tying run in scoring position. Miller recorded the final out on a pop-up to third to end the contest and secure the save.

On Deck
The Phoenix hosts Tarleton State in a rematch on Sunday at 12 p.m. The game will stream on FloCollege.