If there’s one thing the Elon University baseball team has struggled most with this season, it’s holding a lead late in games. Junior Jacob Baker coughed up a two run lead in the top of the ninth inning against Samford University, but the Phoenix walked off in the bottom of the frame in impressive fashion to take the game 8-7.
Former Elon player Zeth Stone led off the top of the ninth inning with a single to second base. The grounder went to the hole between first and second base, causing junior first baseman Ryan Kinsella to get caught in no-man’s land. Second baseman Wil Leathers’ throw to Baker covering first appeared to beat Stone to the bag but the senior was ruled safe to bring Kennedy out of the dugout. He argued, but to no avail.
Junior Phillip Ervin followed with a single through the same hole Stone hit to to send Stone to third and put two on with nobody out. Junior first baseman C.K. Irby then dumped a single into shallow right field to load the bases for right fielder Christiaan Durdaller. The senior singled up the middle to tie the game at six.
After Baker was replaced by junior Ryan Pennell, he got junior designated hitter Patrick McGavin to bunt groundout back to him, then junior catcher Drew McWhorter struck out on a pitch in the dirt after Elon head coach Mike Kennedy was ejected just a few pitches earlier for arguing balls and strikes.
“I really still don’t know what I said to get thrown out and that’s two this year,” Kennedy said. “I’ve had my moments – I don’t confess that I’m an angel but I’ve had my moments and this year. I’ve been thrown out twice and both times I don’t really know that I’ve done a whole lot so it’s disappointing.”
On that pitch in the dirt, though, senior catcher Alex Swim’s throw to first base to retire McWhorter created a problem for the Phoenix. Irby raced home from third and barely beat the return throw to give Samford a 7-6 lead going to the bottom of the ninth.
Against Samford closer Arthur Strauss, Kinsella and sophomore third baseman Joey Tomko led off the inning with back-to-back walks. Tyler McVicar then sacrifice bunted the two into scoring position. McVicar homered earlier in the game to give the Phoenix a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning. It was his first of the season.
Electing to intentionally walk Swim, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI on the day, to load the bases, sophomore Chris King came on to pinch-hit for senior Chris Bresnahan. King came through with a walk-off single down the third base line that scored both Kinsella and Tomko for the 8-7 win.
“I was just trying to get a fastball and hit it somewhere in the outfield and get the run in from third,” King said. “Luckily, I got both in and we won. We’ve won the last few and it’s good for the team to get this win.”
The win puts Elon one game over the .500 mark at 27-26 with one game to play in the regular season. The Phoenix, though needing help to earn a Southern Conference championship, are still in the hunt for the title.
“We’re playing good ball,” Swim said. “The pitching staff is throwing strikes, we’re making plays in the field and we’re getting timely hits. We’re starting to get hot.”
Kyle Webb got the start for the Phoenix. He went six innings giving up eight hits and four runs, all earned, while striking out five. He his three batters in the game – all in the first three innings. He extended his streak of innings without an extra base hit to 26 1/3 innings.
“We all are excited when he’s great and the numbers dictate that,” Kennedy said. “But nobody really says a lot when a guy doesn’t have great stuff, but he competed and got us through six innings.”
Eric Wright took the ball looking to even the series for the Bulldogs and was knocked around for six runs in six innings on seven hits. He struck out six and escaped the contest with a no-decision.
In cleanup work in the ninth inning, Pennell earned his first win of the season with an inning of no-hit baseball even though he was on the mound when Samford took the lead in the ninth inning. Strauss takes the loss after blowing the one-run lead.
First pitch between Elon and Samford Sunday afternoon is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The Phoenix will honor its seniors while senior Spencer Medick will take the hill. With at least three games to play, Swim sits five hits short of tying the all-time program record after his three-hit game Saturday.
Because he was ejected, Kennedy will miss the senior day festivities, as he is not allowed on the field an hour before game-time. It’s the second time Kennedy has been ejected this season, but the first time in conference play, which is the reason he will only miss the one game.
“It’s disappointing because I wont be around tomorrow for senior day for a great group of seniors that have been great for our program and given us great effort and I wont be here to take part in that and it’s really disappointing,” Kennedy said. “That’s why I think our rule in this league is not really good and I’ll leave it at that.”