The skid reached five consecutive losses and 10 in its last 12 games for the Elon University baseball team after losing the first two games of a three-game series at Furman University May 10.
Elon lost the first game, which was suspended because of weather and continued the next day, 14-3 and dropped the second one 9-7.
The game was suspended in the middle of the fifth inning with Elon down 4-0. Furman plated runs on a wild pitch, a two-run home run by Jake Jones and a sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Elon junior Casey Jones blasted a three-run home run to right to cut the deficit to one. From there, it was all Paladins. Furman scored five runs in the sixth, two on a Jordan Simpson home run, to go up 9-3. A wild pitch, a sacrifice fly and a triple from Heath Burton provided the other runs.
The Paladins added two in the seventh on a Carter Grote double and a bases loaded walk and three in the eighth on a three-run home run by Simpson.
Junior Lucas Bakker took the loss for Elon after allowing four runs in four innings. Elon used four relievers who combined to surrender 10 runs on seven hits.
It marked the worst loss of the season for the Phoenix.
Elon scored six runs in the final three innings of the second game, but it wasn't enough. Blaine Bower belted a three-run home run in the ninth to cut the deficit to two runs and two singles followed that, but Furman retired the next three hitters to end the game.
Furman got two in the first on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Simpson. The Paladins added another in the third on a sacrifice fly and two in the fourth via a sacrifice fly and an RBI single.
The Phoenix got on the board when junior Chris King hit a solo home run to left in the fifth. Elon cut the lead to 5-4 when freshman Tucker Norton singled in a pair in the seventh and junior Danny Lynch drove in a run in the eighth. But Furman tacked on four two-out runs in the eighth.
Freshman Matt Harris was saddled with the loss after giving up five runs on nine hits in seven innings.
Elon has now last eight consecutive games on the road.
The losses ensure Elon's worst Southern Conference record ever, and the first sub-.500 SoCon record ever. A 1 p.m. series finale with the Paladins tomorrow is Elon's last SoCon regular season game of the year.