ELON, N.C. – Following a 31 minute delay to the start of the game due to rain, the Elon University baseball team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as the Phoenix opened up a three-game CAA series against the James Madison Dukes with a 7-1 victory at Latham Park on Friday night. The win was the fourth straight for Elon.
Kyle Jackson continued his recent hot streak by going 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI for the Phoenix (13-13, 3-1 CAA). Meanwhile, Will Nance went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs driven in the victory.
JMU (16-8, 2-2 CAA) saw Ky Parrott go 1-for-4 with the lone RBI.
On the mound, Elon starter Ryan Conroy (4-1) earned the victory. He tossed 5.0 shutout innings, struck out four and allowed just three hits. George Kirby fanned a personal-best seven hitters in 4.0 innings to pick up his second save of the season.
After giving up five runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings, JMU’s Brandon Withers (5-1) suffered his first loss of the year.
How It Happened: The Phoenix quickly jumped on top of the Dukes as the maroon and gold plated four first-inning runs. Joe Satterfield sent the first pitch of the inning to left-center for a double and moved to third on Ryne Ogren’s single. After a walk loaded the bases, Jackson drove in a pair with a double through the left side of the infield. With two down, Will Nance lined a ball to right that the JMU rightfielder tried to grab on a slide, but missed allowing the ball to roll to the wall for a two-RBI triple.
James Venuto’s RBI single in the second extended Elon’s advantage to 5-0 where it stayed until the last of the seventh when Jackson belted his seventh home run of the year, a two-run shot, over the wall in left.
The Dukes were able to avoid the shutout by scoring one run in the ninth as Parrott singled home Ryan Coale.
Notes: Jackson has homered three times and driven in nine runs in the past two games… Ogren extended his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games… During his streak, Ogren has gone 29-for-60 (.483)… Satterfield pushed his hit streak to a personal-best nine games… The Phoenix was one out away from recording its fourth shutout of the year.
On Deck: Elon and James Madison will play game two of the series on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Prior to the game, members of Elon’s 1985, 1987 and 1989 NAIA World Series teams will throw out the first pitch as part of the program’s Alumni Weekend.