ELON, N.C. – Freshman Kyle Brnovich threw the a complete game, two-hit shutout to lead the Elon University baseball team to a 3-0 victory, and a CAA series sweep, of the visiting James Madison Dukes on Sunday afternoon.
Brnovich (2-2) had not allowed a hit before Jack Hamner’s one-out single to left in the top of the seventh inning. He would allow just two hits and strike out six JMU hitters to earn the win for Elon (15-13, 5-1 CAA).
Elon’s offense was also limited to just four hits on the day. The Phoenix had just one hit until the eighth inning, a Kory Shumate single in the third. Ryne Ogren, Kyle Jackson and Tyler Stanley all ended the day with one hit and one RBI.
The loss went to Michael Evans (2-1) who gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits in 1.1 innings for James Madison (16-10, 2-4 CAA).
How It Happened: With the game 0-0 with one out in the last of the eighth, Ogren sent a 1-0 pitch from Evans deep down the right field line. The shot stayed just inside the foul pole for his second home run of the season and gave the Phoenix a 1-0 lead. After James Venuto was hit by a pitch, Jackson’s double to left-center allowed pinch-runner Ty Adcock to score from first. An error on the throw in allowed Jackson to take third. He would then score on Stanley’s infield single.
Brnovich got Zach Tondi to fly out to left to start the ninth before striking out the next two hitters to end the game.
Notes: The shutout was the fourth of the season by Elon… James Madison was blanked for the first time in 2016… The Dukes entered the weekend ranking second in the league in both batting average and runs scored, but were limited to just three runs and a .157 batting average by the Phoenix… The three runs allowed by Elon over the weekend were the fewest allowed by the program in a three-game conference series since limiting Presbyterian to two runs in 1992… Elon’s six-game winning streak is the longest for the team since taking six consecutive games in 2014.
On Deck: The Phoenix will play a pair of midweek games against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Elon travels to Wake Forest on Tuesday, April 4 before hosting the Deacs on Wednesday, April 5. Both games will begin at 6 p.m.