ELON, N.C. – Trailing 8-5 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Elon University baseball team rallied for four two-out runs to knock off the visiting Towson Tigers 9-8 in game one of a Colonial Athletic Association series at Latham Park on Friday night.
Elon (13-21, 5-7 CAA) saw Brett Guba go 1-for-2 with two RBI as the senior recorded the game-winning hit. Kyle Jackson added a 2-for-4 performance, scoring three runs, and CJ Young drove in three with a 1-for-4 day at the plate.
Towson (14-21, 5-2) got 3-for-4 showings from both A.J. Gallo and Cuinn Mullins. Both scored twice, while Mullins drove in a pair.
Dimitri Lettas (1-0) earned the win after allowing just one hit in two scoreless innings.
Towson closer Lee Lawler (2-2) took the defeat after giving up four runs on no hits in 1.1 innings.
How It Happened: With Towson holding an 8-5 advantage going to the last of the ninth, Lawler retired the first two Phoenix hitters before Tyler McVicar worked a walk during an eight-pitch at bat. With McVicar on second after a wild pitch, Jackson struck out, but the ball went to the backstop allowing him to safely reach first base and leave runners on the corners. Danny Lynch then walked to load the bases before Young picked up an RBI on a four-pitch walk to make it an 8-6 contest. Will Nance was plunked by the first pitch he saw to cut the Phoenix deficit to just one run. Guba then worked a 3-2 count before grounding ball up the middle. The Tiger shortstop ranged toward second and fielded the ball, but was unable to get an out at first. Young was sent home on the grounder and charged in with the winning run to give Elon its first walk-off victory of the year.
Towson jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Elon got on the board in the last of the fourth. McVicar got that inning going by sending his fourth home run of the year over the wall in right. Three consecutive singles followed, the final one earning Young an RBI. Elon would make it 5-3 on a Kory Shumate fielder’s choice.
The Tigers came right back with three runs of their own in the fifth to move in front 8-3.
Elon scored once in the fifth when Austin Leeney raced home on a wild pitch. The maroon and gold added one in the eighth when Jackson scored from third on an error.
Notes: Elon was just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position… McVicar extended his hitting streak to six games… Young recorded his seventh multi-RBI outing of the year.
On Deck: Elon and Towson will play game two of the series at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 16.