CofC Shuts Out Elon 9-0 Behind Clarke
Rob Washburn
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. (May 21, 2015) – CAA Pitcher of the Year Taylor Clarke allowed just three hits over 8.2 shutout innings and struck out 10 to send top-seeded College of Charleston to a 9-0 victory over #4 Elon in Game 5 of the CAA Baseball Championship on Thursday night at The Ballpark at Patriots Point.
The Cougars (42-11) will face #2 UNCW in a winner’s bracket game at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. The Phoenix (25-28) meet #5 Delaware in an elimination contest at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Clarke (13-1) set the CofC record for victories in a season and tied the CAA wins mark set by VCU’s Chad Berryman in 1998. The senior right-hander gave up only a pair of singles over the first eight frames before being lifted following a double with two outs in the ninth. He didn’t issue a walk and increased his school-record strikeout total to 136.
The Cougars were equally impressive offensively, registering 12 hits and scoring in six of the eight frames. Freshman outfielder Ryan Brown reached base all five times, going 3-for-3 with a double, homer, two runs scored and two RBI. He also walked twice. Morgan Phillips, Erven Roper and Blake Butler had two hits apiece.
Senior Casey Jones went 2-for-3 with a double to pace the Elon offense. Phoenix starting pitcher Michael Elefante (3-1) suffered the loss after giving up six hits and three earned runs over five innings.
CofC got on the board in the first inning for the 25
th time this season and took a 1-0 lead. Brown lined a lead-off double to right and scored on a two-out single by Butler, the CAA Player of the Year.
The Cougars tacked on another run in the fourth. With one out, first baseman Nick Pappas doubled down the right-field line and then moved to third on a passed ball. Bradley Jones followed with a sacrifice fly to right that brought in Pappas.
CofC used the long ball to take control of the game in the fifth. Philips opened the frame by lifting his seventh homer of the season over the ivy-covered wall in left. After a Phoenix error, Brown smacked his fifth homer of the year to right, putting the Cougars ahead 5-0.
In the sixth, Cougars’ catcher Erven Roper doubled and came around to score after a throwing error on Phillips’ infield single. Phillips later crossed the plate following a wild pitch. CofC extended its advantage to 8-0 in the seventh when Jones’ infield single brought in Carl Wise. Champ Rowland scored on a Wise sacrifice fly for the game’s final run in the eighth.