CofC Rallies For 9-8 Win Over Elon

5/25/2016 8:16:04 PM

Rob Washburn

Box Score CAA CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. (May 25, 2016) – Ryan Brown’s two-run single in the eighth inning rallied sixth-seeded College of Charleston past #3 Elon, 9-8, in the second game of the 2016 CAA Baseball Championship on Wednesday afternoon at the Ballpark at Patriots Point.

The Cougars (30-24-1) advance to meet #2 William & Mary at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, while the Phoenix (25-28) return to action tonight against #5 Northeastern in an elimination game.

Trailing 8-7 with two outs in the eighth, CofC got back-to-back singles from Morgan Phillips and Luke Manzo to put runners on the corners. Manzo stole second to move into scoring position and Brown delivered his single to right that put the Cougars on top to stay.

Elon had a chance to draw even in the bottom of the eighth after Nick Zammarelli doubled down the left-field line with one out. He attempted to score the game-tying run on a Danny Lynch single, but was thrown out at the plate by the Cougars’ Bradley Dixon.

CofC finished with 10 hits and also benefitted from 12 walks. Manzo went 3-for-3, while Alex Pastorius was 2-for-4 with three RBI’s. Brown also drove in three runs and Tommy Richter scored four times.

Five Elon players had multiple hits in a 17-hit outing. Lynch led the way by going 4-for-4, while Zammarelli was 3-for-5 and drove in three. Kyle Jackson and Brett Guba also contributed three hits for the Phoenix.

Both teams put two runs on the board in the second. CofC took advantage of three walks for its tallies, while Elon got a solo homer from Jackson – his 12^th of the year – and an RBI single from Guba that followed a Liam O’Regan double.

The Cougars went up 4-2 in the third when Pastorius laced a two-run triple to the gap in right-center. The Phoenix answered back with five in the fourth. Run-scoring singles from Austin Leeney and Ryne Ogren knotted the game at 4-4 and Zammarelli smacked his ninth homer of the season to give Elon the lead by three.

CofC tacked on a run in the fifth as Dupree Hart’s bases-loaded walk brought in Tommy Richter. The Cougars tied the contest at 7-7 an inning later on Pastorius’ RBI double to left-center and an infield single by Phillips.

Elon regained the lead, 8-7, in the bottom of the sixth as Ogren tripled to right and scored on a Lynch single.

Reliever Justin Baker (3-3) earned the win for CofC after 1.2 innings of scoreless relief and Carter Love didn’t give up a run over the final two frames to pick up his 10^th save.