Five-Run Ninth Lifts Elon Past Delaware, 7-6

5/20/2015 9:11:52 PM

Rob Washburn

Boxscore | Highlights

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. (May 20, 2015) – Junior third baseman Danny Lynch’s two-run single capped a five-run, ninth-inning rally and gave #4 Elon a 7-6 victory over #5 Delaware in the opening game of the 2015 CAA Baseball Championship at the Ballpark at Patriots Point.

The Phoenix (25-27) advance to play top-seeded College of Charleston at 5 p.m. on Thursday while the Blue Hens (23-23) return at 10 a.m. on Thursday morning to meet either Northeastern or William & Mary in an elimination contest.

Trailing 6-2 entering the bottom of the ninth, Elon opened the frame with back-to-back singles by outfielders Casey Jones and Ryan Cooper. Nick Zammarelli placed a perfect bunt down the third-base line to load the bases and Chris King followed with a two-run single to left that trimmed the deficit to 6-4. After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners up, Zammarelli scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-5. Austin Leeney drew a two-out walk and then got into scoring position with a stolen base. That set the stage for Lynch, who sliced a ball into the gap in left-center to bring in the winning runs.

Elon, which left 11 men on base over the first six innings, got nine of its 11 hits from the top five batters in the lineup. Jones, Cooper, Zammarelli and King had two apiece. Delaware got seven hits off the bats of seven different players.

Freshman Sean Byrnes (2-1) earned the victory for Elon after pitching the final 6.2 innings following a five-and-a-half hour rain delay. He allowed six hits and two earned runs while striking out four. Luke Alicknavitch (1-2), one of four Blue Hens’ pitchers in the ninth, took the loss. The setback marred an excellent effort from UD’s Kevin Milley, who threw six shutout innings before giving up two runs in the ninth.

Delaware scored the game’s opening run without a hit in the first. Second baseman Zach Lopes drew a one-out walk, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and crossed the plate on Norm Donkin’s grounder to short.

Elon responded quickly in the bottom of the first. Jones laced a one-out single to right and rightfielder Cooper followed with a two-run homer over the ivy-covered wall in left to give the Phoenix a 2-1 lead. It was Cooper’s seventh home run of the season.

Following the rain delay, the Blue Hens moved back on top in the third. With two out and two on, Tyler Powell’s sinking liner to left was misplayed and allowed a pair of runs to score. Calvin Scott’s RBI single to right brought home Powell for a 4-2 UD advantage.

The Blue Hens tacked on solo runs in the fourth and sixth. Catcher Ty Warrington singled to left to open the fourth, advanced to second on Brock Niggebrugge’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Lopes’ bloop single to right. In the sixth, Joe Giacchino’s two-out double to the gap in right-center brought in Diaz Nardo to increase the margin to 6-2.