Elon Baseball Rally Falls Just Short in Series Finale

STATESBORO, Ga. – After falling behind 5-0, the Elon University baseball team rallied to pull within a run and had multiple chances for more runs, but ultimately dropped a 5-4 decision at Georgia Southern on Sunday afternoon.

Box Score | Play-by-Play

For Elon (5-7), Ryne Ogren drove in a pair of runs, while both Josh Broughton and Garrett Stonehouse tallied two-hit games.

Phoenix starter Owen Lorenz (0-2) took the loss after giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 2.2 innings. Three Elon relievers combined to scatter three hits and strike out five hitters over the final 5.1 innings.

Mason McWhorter and Matt Anderson both drove in a pair of runs for the Eagles (6-6), while Mitchell Golden posted a three-hit day at the plate.

Despite allowing his first earned runs of the season, GSU starter David Johnson (1-0) earned the win. He allowed four runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings of work. Zach Cowart surrendered two hits over the final 2.1 innings to earn his first save.

How It Happened: Trailing 5-0 after three innings, Elon began its rally in the fifth. Joe Satterfield led things off with a single to center before Elon loaded the bases thanks to one-out singles from Stonehouse and Zach Evers. Matt Oldham’s ground out allowed Satterfield to score the first Phoenix run of the afternoon. Ogren followed with a single through the left side that drove home two more to cut the deficit to 5-3.

The next inning, a pair of walks and a wild pitch put two in scoring position with one out for the maroon and gold. The Phoenix would get just one in the sixth, however, scoring on a Satterfield ground out.

Elon got two aboard in the seventh before loading the bases with two outs in the eighth, but was unable to capitalize on either opportunity. The Phoenix made one final push in the ninth when James Venuto drew a two-out walk. After an errant pick-off attempt allowed pinch-runner Liam O’Regan to head to second base, Cam Devanney lined one towards the gap in left-center, but the ball hung up and was caught for the final out of the game.

Georgia Southern got one unearned run in the last of the second when a ball was misplayed in the outfield on a double before putting up four runs in the third. That inning, the Eagles sent nine men to the plate and had four hits, including two-RBI singles from McWhorter and Anderson.

Notes: Ogren has reached safely in all 12 games this season and has an nine-game hitting streak… Elon has now played eight one-run games and 11 of the Phoenix’s 12 games have been decided by one or two runs… Phoenix pitchers combined to record 37 strikeouts over the course of the three-game series.

On Deck: Elon returns home for its next four games, beginning with a 4 p.m. first pitch against UNCG on Wednesday, March 7.