May 9, 2009

Box Score

Cullowhee, N.C. - Elon scored runs in bunches in all but four innings Saturday night in handing Western Carolina a 27-6 setback to win the Southern Conference best-of-three series over the Catamounts at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.

The Phoenix blitzed WCU for a season-high 26 base hits with 12 going for extra bases including four home runs, seven doubles and a triple in tallying a season-high in runs scored. All nine Elon starters recorded hits with all but two of the 16 batters to take swings tallying a hit in the victory.

It is the second time this season that Western has surrendered 20-or-more runs in a game after allowing 23 in an 11-inning home win over Eastern Kentucky back on April 8. Elon's 27 runs are the most ever scored by a SoCon opponent against the Catamounts, and are the most in a single-game since WCU surrendered 30 in a road loss at South Carolina back in 1997.

The two teams will conclude the three-game series on Sunday afternoon with first pitch set for 2:00 pm. Prior to the game, Western Carolina will honor its six seniors - Mitchell Hatley, Andy John, J.C. Lyons, Corey Martin, Garrett Ozar and Mike Tavernier - in a special pre-game ceremony.

Elon (35-14, 22-4 SoCon), which set a school-record for conference wins, broke open a scoreless game with six runs in the top of the third inning, capitalizing on five hits and a walk before the first out was retired in the inning. Five of the runs were driven in on base hits, with the sixth coming on a wild pitch to give the Phoenix a 6-0 lead.

The Catamounts answered back in the home half of the third with a two-out, two-run home run by Nick Liles that trimmed the deficit back to four, 6-2. The homer for Liles was his ninth of the season.

Elon broke open an otherwise close game with consecutive six-run innings to lead 18-2. The Phoenix again rapped out six hits and utilizing a pair of hit batsmen in the visitor's portion of the fifth to push the lead to 12-2. Then with just two hits including a triple in the sixth, Elon managed to score six runs thanks to three walks, a hit batsman and two RBI groundouts. The Phoenix would also score four in the seventh and five in the ninth.

Brent Greer added a second home run for Western in the sixth inning, going opposite field for a two-run shot with Ross Heffley aboard, while Andy John delivered a pinch hit RBI single and Dylan de Graaf a RBI double in the seventh inning.

Greer and Liles were the lone two Catamounts with multiple hits in the loss, each with a home run and Liles legging out his team-high tying 18th double of the season.

Matt Johns stretched his career-best hitting streak to a team-long 15 games with a seventh-inning double. However, J.C. Lyons and Trevor Collias both saw their career-long hitting streaks end at 14 and 13 games, respectively.

Corey Martin (6-4) suffered the loss after allowing six earned runs on six hits and was chased in the third inning after just two official frames recorded. The Yadkinville, N.C., native did strike out three of the six outs he recorded with a pair of walks.

WCU (30-19, 16-9 SoCon) used six pitchers all told in the loss with Brandon Johnson lasting the longest at two and a third innings of four-hit, four-run action with a walk and three strikeouts. Also, left-hander Vance Chavis made his much anticipated debut in returning from off-season elbow surgery, facing four batters and hurling 15 pitches in a third of an inning.

Elon's Daniel Britt (7-0) remained perfect on the season, working six innings and scattering six runs on eight hits with six strikeouts against one walk. Relievers Bobby Kennedy and Jared Kernodle each fanned and walked one apiece in one-hit, scoreless relief.

Neal Pritchard was one of four Phoenix players to post a three-hit night, recording extra bases on each knock. The starting shortstop legged out a pair of doubles and blasted a home run in the win. All told, six different Elon players recorded three-RBI or more on the day, with Ryan Adams driving in five on a 3-for-5 night that included a double.