Elon Baseball Clinches CAA’s Number Two Seed With Sweep of William & Mary

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University baseball team secured its best finish in league play since joining the Colonial Athletic Association as the Phoenix clinched the number two seed in next week’s CAA Tournament by earning an 8-3 victory over William & Mary at Latham Park on Saturday evening.

Box Score | Play-by-Play

Elon wrapped up the regular season with a 35-21 overall record and a 16-8 mark in CAA play. The Phoenix has won seven straight games. William & Mary lost its final 16 games of the year to end with a 15-39, 3-21 record.

For the Phoenix, Joe Satterfield (2-for-4, two RBI) homered for the second straight game, while Ty Adcock belted his third homer of the season.

The win went to Ryan Conroy (4-3) who allowed three runs over six hits in 5.0 innings. On his birthday, Robbie Welhaf tossed a pair of scoreless innings to claim his sixth save of the year.

Colin Lipke drove in two of William & Mary’s three runs, while Hunter Smith had two hits and one RBI.

Tribe starter Chris Farrell (2-5) suffered the loss after being charged with four runs on five hits in 3.0 innings.

How It Happened: William & Mary struck first, scoring twice with two outs in the top of the first on Lipke’s double down the right field line. Elon responded with one in the bottom half of the inning when Zach Eversscored on a Ryne Ogren groundout.

The Phoenix knotted the game in the second when Adcock belted a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right-center to lead off the inning.

Elon went in front for good with a two-run fourth. James Venuto was hit by a pitch to start the frame ahead of a walk to Adcock. Matt Oldham loaded the bases with a bunt single before Josh Broughton lifted a fly ball to center that allowed Venuto to score. On the next pitch, Adcock raced home from third on a wild pitch to make it a 4-2 contest.

The Tribe got one back in the fifth when Brandon Raquet scored on a Smith sacrifice fly.

It remained a 4-3 game until the last of the seventh when the Phoenix struck for two more. With two down and Garrett Stonehouse aboard, Satterfield crushed a 1-1 pitch to right for his fourth homer of the year to provide a three-run cushion. Elon tacked on another two in the eighth. The first came when Evers tripled home Oldham. Evers then came home on a Stonehouse single to provide the final margin.

Notes: Elon posted 25 home victories this season, it’s most ever under skipper Mike Kennedy… Elon’s seven-game winning streak is one shy of its longest of the year.

On Deck: By finishing second, Elon earns a bye in the opening round of the CAA Tournament. The Phoenix will play its first tournament game at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, in Harrisonburg, Va. Elon will face the winner of third-seeded College of Charleston and sixth-seeded Hofstra at JMU’s Veteran’s Memorial Park.