Elon’s Season Comes to a Close With One-Run Loss
HARRISONBURG, Va. – In a CAA Tournament elimination game on Saturday, May 25, the second-seeded Elon University baseball team dropped a 5-4 contest to the top-seeded Northeastern Huskies to see its season come to an end.
Elon ends the year with a 36-23 record, while Northeastern moved to 35-18.
Brandon Justice (0-3) was tagged with the loss after he allowed one run on one hit. He struck out two. Ryan Conroy did not figure into the decision and was charged with four runs on five hits. The junior matched his season highs with 7.0 innings and eight strikeouts.
Elon got homers from James Venuto (1-for-4, three RBI) and Cam Devanney (2-for-3, one RBI) as the Phoenix finished with six hits.
Andrew Misiaszek (2-2) earned the win after he threw 2.0 scoreless innings.
Scott Holzwasser drove home three during a two-hit game, while Jake Farrell had two RBI for the Huskies who also finished with six hits.
How It Happened: With the score tied at four entering the ninth, Northeastern’s Charlie McConnell drew a one out walk, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Following a two-out intentional walk, Holzwasser lined a single to right to drive home the winning run.
Elon was the first to get on the board, scoring a pair of runs when Venuto belted a 2-2 pitch over the wall in center that also brought home Ty Adcock in the last of the second. The homer was his sixth of the season.
The lead was short-lived, as Northeastern rallied with two down in the top of the third. Back-to-back singles were followed by a two-run triple from Holzwasser to even things up.
With two outs in the last of the fourth, the Phoenix reclaimed the lead on Devanney’s fifth homer of the season, this one a solo shot deep over the wall in left.
A hit batter and walk put two runners on for Northeastern in the top of the seventh. After a strikeout got the Phoenix within an out of getting out of the inning, Farrell hit a routine fly ball to left, but it was lost in the lights and fell in for a two-RBI double to put the Huskies in front by a 4-3 score.
In the last of the eighth, Joe Satterfield lined a single to left to get things going in the inning. Adcock followed and put down a sacrifice bunt that was thrown away at first and allowed the Phoenix to have runners on second and third with nobody out. Elon was able to tie it on a Venuto groundout, but could not move back in front.
Notes: Elon ended the year with 575 strikeouts by its pitching staff, a new program record.