ELON, N.C. – Eight strikeouts from Kyle Brnovich helped the Elon University baseball team to a 6-1 victory over Towson to open a three-game Colonial Athletic Association set on Friday evening, May 11, at Latham Park.
Box Score (.PDF) | Play-by-Play
Elon snapped a three-game losing skid while improving to 29-21 overall and 11-8 during league play. The Tigers fell to 13-37 overall with a 6-13 ledger during league play.
Brnovich allowed one hit through 7.0 innings to improve to 7-2 overall on the season. He also fanned eight batters to up his season total to 132. At the plate, Elon had 10 hits in the contest with Ryan Ogren going 3-for-4 with two RBI and Garrett Stonehouse (2-for-3) and Joe Satterfield (2-for-4) also posting multi-hit efforts.
The Tigers managed three total hits on the night with starter David Marriggi taking the loss to go to 3-7. Marriggi tossed 6.0 innings and allowed eight hits and six runs, but only four were earned.
The Rundown
Elon jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Zach Evers reached on a leadoff single and stole second to move into scoring position. A grounder moved him to third before Ogren’s 14th double of the season sent him across the dish for the first run of the game. After another single moved Ogren to third, a Matt Oldham sacrifice fly drove him home to make the score 2-0 in favor of the Phoenix.
The Phoenix added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Tyler Stanley drew a one-out free pass before a Towson throwing error advanced him all the way to third. An RBI double into right center by Ty Adcock scored Stanley easily with the Phoenix going ahead 3-0. Ogren’s second RBI of the game on a single plated another run for Elon, who took a 4-0 advantage into the sixth.
The Tigers erased the shutout primarily due to a Phoenix miscue in the top of the sixth. Towson’s Richie Palacios reached on a one-out walk then moved to second on a wild pitch. On the next at bat, the Tigers reached base on a throwing error which also enabled Palacios to score a run on the play to cut the Phoenix’s lead to 4-1.
Elon responded with a two-spot in its home half of the sixth. Oldham walked to open the inning before a single by Cam Devanney moved him to second. A wild pitch sent Oldham to third before an errant throw by the catcher into the outfield allowed Oldham to plate the fifth run of the contest for the Phoenix. Devanney moved to third on the play before he also scored on another wild pitch. The two miscues gave the Phoenix some insurance runs as Elon held on for the 6-1 victory.
On Deck
Elon and Towson will continue the series on Saturday, May 12. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Latham Park.