ELON, N.C. – The Elon University baseball team put an end to two streaks on Friday night with a 9-6 victory over the visiting College of Charleston Cougars in Colonial Athletic Association action at Latham Park. The win snapped a six-game Cougar winning streak and also ended the Phoenix’s five-game skid.
Danny Lynch tied a career high with three hits, scored twice and drove in the game-winning run in the eighth inning for Elon (10-15, 2-4 CAA). Nick Zammarelli, Kyle Jackson and Kory Shumate all drove in two runs for the maroon and gold.
Charleston (18-8, 3-1) got two hits apiece from Erven Roper and Alex Pastorius.
Danny Crowe (2-0) was the winning pitcher after retiring the only batter he faced in the eighth inning. Chris Hall picked up his fifth save of the year with a perfect ninth.
Justin Baker (1-1) took the loss and was charged with four runs on three hits in an inning.
How It Happened: Trailing 6-5 entering the bottom of the eighth, Elon began its comeback with Austin Leeneydrawing a leadoff walk. Leeney was at second with two down when a wild pitch and a walk put runners on the corners. Jackson worked a full count and then bounced a ball up the middle that was snared by a diving Luke Manzo who attempted an off-balance throw to first that was not in time to get Jackson and allowed the Phoenix to tie the game at six. Lynch followed with a single up the middle to score Zammarelli with the go-ahead run. Kory Shumate, who had entered the game in the top of the eighth as a defensive replacement, ripped the first pitch he saw to the gap in right-center to drive in the final two Elon runs.
Charleston started the scoring with four runs in the second, including a two-run single from Dupree Hart, only to see Elon answer with four of its own in the last of the inning. The Phoenix got its runs on a Liam O’Regansingle and three bases-loaded walks.
The Cougars went back on top, 5-4, in the sixth, but once again the Phoenix tied it up in the bottom half. Charleston claimed a 6-5 lead on a Roper single in the seventh.
Notes: Elon won for the third time when trailing after seven innings… Leeney scored a career-high three runs… Zammarelli extended his hitting streak to eight games, while Shumate has reached safely in 12 consecutive contests
On Deck: Elon and Charleston will play game two of the series on Saturday, April 2, at 4 p.m.