Zammarelli, Byrnes Lead Elon Baseball to Win Over UNCG

ELON, N.C. – Nick Zammarelli hit the first grand slam of his career and Sean Byrnes limited the nation’s top hitting offense to two runs on two hits in five innings as the Elon Phoenix defeated the visiting UNCG Spartans by a 14-8 margin at Latham Park on Wednesday night.

Zammarelli finished the night with a career-best five hits in six at bats, drove in five, scored three and finished a triple shy of the cycle for Elon (16-22). Ryne Ogren went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI, while CJ Young drove in three with a 2-for-6 night at the plate.

UNCG (28-11) saw both L.J. Kalawaia and Collin Woody go 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Byrnes (2-2) gave up two runs on two hits, while walking just one and striking out two in his second start of the year to earn the win.

The loss went to Spartans’ starter Jake Lewis (1-1) who was charged with four runs (three earned) on three hits in 1.1 inning of work.

How It Happened: With the game tied at one, Elon built a three-run advantage in the last of the second. Liam O’Regan homered to start the frame, his fourth home run in as many games, before Young drove in two with a two-out single.

After UNCG cut it to 4-2, the Phoenix responded with a four-run third as Zammarelli connected on his sixth home run of the season. A five-run fifth saw Danny Lynch with an RBI double, Young with an RBI ground out, Kyle Jackson with an RBI double and Ogren with a two-RBI single as the maroon and gold built a 13-2 lead.

The Spartans would get two back in the sixth on a Kalawaia single and Woody sacrifice fly and another in the seventh to trim Elon’s advantage to 13-5.

Ogren drove in his third run of the night with a two-out single in the last of the seventh.

UNCG would push across three final runs in the ninth to provide the final margin.

Notes: O’Regan set a new freshman NCAA Division I program record with his eighth home run of the year… O’Regan also became the first Elon player since Cory Harrilchak to homer in four consecutive games did so in 2008 (May 13-24)… Tyler McVicar extended his hitting streak to a personal-best 10 games with a single in the fifth inning.

On Deck: Elon will play its final home CAA series of the season by hosting Hofstra for three games this weekend. The set begins with a 6:30 p.m. contest on Friday, April 22.