Eagles Drop Final Two to Elon
3/29/2009 4:01:00 AM | Baseball
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern could not find an answer to Elon's two-out hitting, dropping a 16-6 and 15-8 decision Sunday afternoon (March 29) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles fell to 18-7 overall and 4-3 in the Southern Conference.
Sunday's first game was a completion from Saturday's rain-suspended game. In the two games Elon recorded 21 two-out RBI to take the series.
Game two of series
Georgia Southern freshman Matt Murray (Spring City, PA/Owen Roberts) struck out the side in the first inning and got the first out of the second frame on a lineout. From there a walk, RBI triple, RBI single and back-to-back home runs from Ryan Adams (2-run) and Dallas Tarleton accounted for all five Phoenix runs in the second inning.
The Eagles threatened in the third, all with two outs. Kevin Bowles (Statesboro/Statesboro) reached on a bunt single then Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) singled up the middle. Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) hit a chopper past third baseman Barrett Davis to score a run. Ty Wright (Montrose/ABAC) was hit by a pitch to load the bases but Jimmy Reyes worked out of the jam getting a force out.
Fellow freshman Colin Snow (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) got the final two outs of the second, two strikeouts to close out the third and fanned Tarleton for the first out of the fourth before the umpires called the rain delay. Snow returned on Sunday and would eventually pitch a season-high 4.2 innings.
Georgia Southern scored four times in the sixth to cut the deficit to one. Wright scored on a throwing error by catcher Mike Melillo then during the same at-bat Randy Williams (Valdosta/Andrew College) hit his first home run as an Eagle, a 2-run shot. Porter recorded a RBI groundout.
Elon (14-8, 8-4) broke the game open in its half of the seventh scoring nine times. Pat Irvine hit a 3-run homer, Jordan Darnell (in his first collegiate at-bat) hit a grand slam and Chase Austin delivered a 2-run homer all coming with two outs.
In the seventh, Eric Phillips (Carrollton/Carrollton) brought home a run on an infield single.
Murray (1-2) was charged for five runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. Five different Eagles recorded a 2-hit game.
Cory Harrilchak (1-1) earned the win allowing four runs on three hits in 2.1 innings. Darnell earned the save when he pitched 3.2 innings. Austin finished with four hits as the 5-8 hitters combined for nine runs scored.
Game Three
The Phoenix broke open an 8-all tie scoring seven unanswered runs ? five coming on two outs ? in the seventh and eighth innings.
Elon scored three runs in the first inning, two coming off a triple by Melillo.
The Eagles got a run in the first when Porter scored on a throwing error by second baseman Zeth Stone. With the bases loaded in the third, A.J. Wirnsberger (Tuscaloosa, AL/Paul Bryant) lifted a sacrifice fly. Later in the inning, Phillips hit his first collegiate home run ? a grand slam to centerfield that gave the Eagles a 6-3 lead.
The Phoenix plated five runs of their own in the next half inning. Harrilchak accounted for three runs on a two-out homer to centerfield.
Georgia Southern loaded the bases in the fourth and fifth inning also. Wright hit a sac fly in the fourth then Bowles added one in the fifth to tie the score at 8-all.
Elon used more 2-out hitting and three long balls in the seventh and eighth innings. Neal Pritchard hit a 2-run homer in the seventh then Hilt added a 3-run shot in the eighth.
Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine) was charged for three runs in two-thirds of an inning falling to 1-1. Starter Andy Moye (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) allowed eight runs on eight hits in four innings. Jake Brown (Forest Hill, MD/Pitt CC) pitched 1.2 scoreless innings.
Phillips recorded season-highs of three hits and four RBI in the finale. The Eagles wound up stranding 34 runners in the series.
J.D. Reichenbach earned the win in relief, going to 3-0. He gave up one run on five hits in four innings. Harrilchak finished 4-for-5 for the Phoenix. Melillo and Hilt drove in four runs each.
