HIGH POINT 9, ELON 7 (10 inn.)
ELON, N.C. - Despite blowing a 6-0 lead after three innings, the High Point Panthers were able to pull off a 9-7, 10-inning non-conference baseball victory over the Elon Phoenix from Latham Park on a rainy night in front of 125 die hard fans. High Point (26-28) completed a three-game season sweep of Elon (28-25) with the victory on Wednesday night after scoring two unearned runs in the top of the 10th inning.
High Point struck first in the first inning when Jeff Cowan's infield single plated Robby Kuzdale. Kuzdale singled to start the game and went to second on an error on the play before advancing to third on a ground out.
The Panthers pushed their lead to 2-0 in the second inning when Randy Schwartz launched his eighth homer of the season, this solo shot over the scoreboard in left-center. Tony Flores reached base after being hit by a pitch before Eric Marion's double down the rightfield line put runners on second and third. Alfie Wheeler's single up the middle left runners on the corners and plated Flores with the third High Point run of the evening. After a walk to Pablo Rosario which loaded the bases, Elon turned the ball over to Daniel Britt to face Cowan with two outs. Cowan delivered a two-RBI single up the middle to give the Panthers a 5-0 advantage.
J. Williams and Schwartz began the High Point third with back-to-back singles before Flores put down a sac bunt to move both runners up a base. After Wheeler drew a two-out walk to load the bases, Kuzdale lined a single to right, plating Williams.
Elon cut the lead in half in the fourth when Chris Dove hit his eighth triple of the season to the gap in left-center, this one came with the bases loaded and Ryan Adams, Chase Austin and Adam Weaver all scored. On the play, the throw to third sailed high and Dove tried to score, but was gunned down at the plate for the final out of the inning.
The Phoenix closed even closer in the bottom of the fifth as Jordy Snyder led off the frame with a line drive over the wall in left for his third home run of the season. With one away, Drew Davis and Mike Melillo drew back-to-back walks. After the second out was recorded, pinch-hitter Zach Booker delivered a single back up the middle to drive home Davis to close the gap to 6-5.
A one-out blast off the bat of Dove in the bottom of the sixth knotted the score at six. It was the second homer of the year for Dove. Snyder followed with a bunt single and stole second before heading to third on Pat Irvine's single to center. Elon claimed its first lead of the night when Davis lifted a sacrifice fly to left-center, scoring Snyder to put the Phoenix up 7-6.
High Point loaded the bases with a walk and two singles in the top of the eighth. On a 3-2 pitch to Bill Manion, Tom Porter missed low to walk in the tying run in Wheeler. Porter retired the next two hitters and the Panthers left the bases loaded.
Kuzdale led off the top of the 10th with a double to left before going to third on an error on a pickoff attempt. Rosario tapped a ball back to Elon pitcher Chris Vasami who threw the ball away at first, allowing Kuzdale to score the go ahead run. On the play, Rosario ended up at third. A sac fly to right from Cowan plated Rosario with High Point's ninth run of the game.
In the bottom of the 10th, Booker reached on an infield single before Austin lined a single to left which was misplayed, allowing pinch-runner Kevin Pratt to go to third and Austin to second. Tom Boleska promptly fanned the next two hitters to end the game and Elon left the tying run on second base.
For the Phoenix, Dove drove in a career-high four runs and legged out his eighth triple of the year to move into a tie for second place on Elon's single season chart with Evan Tartaglia who had eight triples in 2003. Dove finished the game 2-for-5 after adding a solo homer. Snyder posted a 2-for-4, two-run performance while Booker added a 2-for-3 night off the bench.
Cowan drove in four runs for High Point with a 3-for-4 night while Kuzdale delivered a 4-for-6, two-run, one-RBI performance.
Vasami suffered the loss, falling to 0-1 this year. He surrendered two unearned runs on one hit. Ryan Basham had a solid performance out of the pen for the Phoenix, hurling 4.1 innings and allowing one run on three his and striking out five.
Boleska improved to 4-1 with the win in relief. He threw 4.0 scoreless innings, striking out six. Panther ace Eammon Portice lasted 4.2 innings in the start for High Point. He was tagged for five runs on three hits, but walked seven.
The Phoenix will open its regular season-ending series when Wofford comes to town for an 8:00 p.m. contest on Friday night.
UNC ASHEVILLE 12, UNC GREENSBORO 9
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? UNC Asheville used three big innings to take a 12-9 win over UNC Greensboro in a game that saw a hour and 46 minute rain delay on Wednesday night at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
UNC Asheville (20-26) took an early 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Cameron Duckworth in the top of the second and in the following inning, the Bulldogs added three more runs to jump out to a four-run advantage. David Williams singled through the left side to score lead-off batter Kevin Mattison. Two batters later and with the bases loaded, Kyle Smith laced a single to center to score two, giving Asheville a 4-0 lead.
UNCG (27-26) struck for a run in the same inning to cut the Bulldog lead to three. With the bases loaded and one out, junior Matt Gaski plated Logan Smith on an infield groundout.
The Bulldogs quickly responded with another three-run inning in the fourth. Steve Burnich led-off with a walk and Mattison followed with his sixth home run of the season over the rightfield wall. Williams picked up another RBI with a two-bagger to left-center, putting the Bulldogs up 7-1.
Asheville extended its lead, 11-1, with four runs in the fifth highlighted by a lead-off roundtripper by Duckworth. UNCG pushed across three runs in the same inning to close in on the Bulldogs. With the bases loaded and two outs, junior Adam Deleo connected on a bases-clearing double to left-center.
Greg Feltes picked up the Spartans’ fifth run of the game in the sixth inning as the Rocky River, OH native collected his team-leading 42nd RBI of the season. Junior Sean Snell sent a single to left and Ed Jayjack walked before Feltes laced a single through the right side.
After an hour and 46 minute rain delay, Elliott Arrington recorded a RBI double in the seventh to give Asheville a 12-5 lead. The Spartans, however, used a four-run eighth to come within three.
Pitcher Kory Judd started the Spartan scoring when he was plated by a wild pitch with the bases loaded. Ricky Orton followed with a two RBI double to left-center and Brandon Harvey scored Orton on a single up the middle. Bulldog reliever Ben Buchanan, however, went on to retire the final three Spartans in the ninth to earn his seventh save of the season.
Asheville’s Graham Baughn (6-5) earned the win after pitching three innings and giving up just one run on three hits on a scheduled staff day. Buchanan pitched a scoreless and hitless inning of relieve to earn the save.
UNCG starter Clay Gibson (2-2) took the loss after allowing three runs on five hits in 2-1/3 innings of work.
Each of the Bulldog starters recorded at least one hit on the evening. Leftfielder Rob Vernon finished 2-for-5 and broke UNC Asheville’s single season hits record.
Feltes finished 3-for-5 with a RBI, while Orton and Harvey each went 2-for-4 for the Spartans.
UNCG closes out the regular season when it hosts Appalachian State in a three-game series beginning Thursday at 6 pm.