HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The Elon University baseball team was forced to play a doubleheader against the Hofstra Pride on Saturday after inches of rain washed Friday’s scheduled series opener. The Phoenix dropped game one by a 7-4 margin before bouncing back to claim an 8-1 victory in game two.
Game 1 Box Score | Game 1 Play-by-Play
Game 2 Box Score | Game 2 Play-by-Play
On the day, Elon (21-26, 11-9 CAA) was led by Kyle Jackson who went a combined 2-for-9 with four RBI and a pair of home runs. Hayden Platt ended the day 3-for-9 with a homer and five RBI.
For Hofstra (12-32, 5-12 CAA), Brad Witkowski was 3-for-6 with three runs scored, four RBI and a home run.
Kyle Brnovich (5-4) took the loss in game one after being charged with five runs on five hits in 5.2 innings. He struck out four.
The game one win went to John Rooney (4-7) who allowed two runs on five hits in 6.1 innings. Rooney recorded seven strikeouts. Chris Weiss earned his second save of the year after striking out seven and giving up two runs on two hits in 2.2 innings.
In the nightcap, Jordan Barrett (3-3) struck out eight in 7.0 innings. He allowed one run on four hits on the day to pick up the win. George Kirby threw the final 2.0 innings, striking out four.
Hofstra’s Teddy Cillis (0-9) was charged with four runs (three earned) in 7.0 innings. He struck out 16 hitters.
How It Happened (Game 1): With one out in the last of the third, Vinnie Costello was hit by a pitch. He then swiped second and moved to third on a passed ball before scoring on a third strike wild pitch that allowed Steven Foster to reach. With two in scoring position after a walk and double steal, another wild pitch allowed the Pride to make it 2-0. Vito Friscia recorded the lone hit of the inning, but it was big one as the ball cleared the fence in center for a two-run homer that gave Hofstra a 4-0 advantage.
Elon did not record a hit until Joe Satterfield began the sixth with a double to left-center. With one out, Jackson connected on his 10th home run of the season to cut the Phoenix deficit to 4-2.
Costello got things going for Hofstra again in the sixth as he reached on a walk, stole second and ended up at third when the throw went in to center. A one-out single through the left side by Witkowski plated Costello with the fifth Pride run of the game.
After the first two hitters of the eighth were retired, Ty Adcock drew a walk and then rode home when Platt belted an 0-1 pitch deep over the fence in left-center to make it a 5-4 game.
With two down in the bottom of the eighth, Foster doubled before Witkowski homered to left-center to push the Pride lead back to three runs.
How It Happened (Game 2): After Hofstra took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Vito Friscia single, Elon would grab its first lead of the day in the top of the third. Mike Borucki led the frame off with a single up the middle and raced home on Ryne Ogren’s one-out double down the right field line. Ogren would then come in on Platt’s two-out double to left-center to make it a 2-1 contest.
Elon added a pair to its advantage in the fifth when Jackson belted his second two-run homer of the day, this one clearing the 30-foot fence in center.
It remained a 4-1 game until the top of the eighth when Elon added some insurance runs. With one out, Zach Evers singled ahead of a Borucki walk. Satterfield then lined a single to right that plated Evers and left runners on the corners for Ogren. Ogren picked up his second RBI of the game by grounding a ball up the middle to drive in Borucki to up the Phoenix lead to 6-1. Platt then made it an 8-1 contest with a two-RBI single to left.
Notes: Elon has now split all three of its doubleheaders this season… Ogren’s double in game two gave him 19 on the year, moving him in to a tie for seventh on the program’s single-season doubles chart… With a pair of multi-RBI performance, Jackson now has 21 career multi-RBI games and a team-best 11 this year.
On Deck: The teams will conclude the three-game set on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.