Ken Ferrer allowed just three runs over a career-best 7.2 innings pitched and Mike Melillo hit a two-run home run to lead the 29th-ranked and third-seeded Elon Phoenix to a 6-3 victory over the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers in an elimination game of the Cary Regional of the 2008 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
Mountaineers ended their season at 21-34.
The win was the
second-ever NCAA Division I Tournament win in school history. Elon
defeated Mississippi State 5-4 in the 2006 Clemson Regional.
With two outs in the top of the first inning, Drew Counselman
belted his seventh homer of the year, a shot over the wall in left to
put the Mountaineers up 1-0.
Elon tried to answer in its half of the first, but stranded runners on the corners. With one away, Donny Jobe singled. An error allowed Cory Harrilchak to reach, putting Phoenix runners at first and second for Bennett Davis. Harrilchak was then caught stealing for the first time this season and Jobe ended up on third. With two down, Davis was hit with a 3-2 pitch before Dallas Tarleton grounded out to short to end the inning.
In the second, Kyle Kane led off with a single before going to
second on a sac bunt. Matt Staso then looped a single to left-center to
put runners on the corners before Alex Andrews flew out to shallow left
for out number two. Ferrer then got Matt Eiden to pop out to short for
the final out of the frame.
The Phoenix evened the score at 1-1 in the second. With one out, Melillo walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Mike Lobacz followed by sending a triple off the wall in right-center for the RBI. Elon then grabbed the lead on Greg Annarummo’s single up the middle, scoring Lobacz.
After Harrilchak walked to begin the Elon third, extending his streak of reaching base safely to 32 games, Davis
doubled to the gap in right-center, driving in his 80th run of the
year. The double was the 133rd of the year for the team, equaling the
record set in 2006. Harrilchak’s run was the 71st of the year scored
by the junior, evening the program record set by Gary Morris in 2005.
After two scoreless at bats, Elon increased its lead to 5-1 in
the sixth when Melillo sent a two-run bomb to right-center, his fifth
homer of the season. Aboard was Chase Austin who had reached on a bunt single.
With Dove on second, Harrilchak grounded to short, but the
ball went through the legs of the Mountaineer shortstop allowing Dove
to score and Harrilchak to reach second.
Josh Vittek blasted home run number 20 on the year to right-center with
two out, pulling the Mountaineers within three at 6-3.
Mike Kennedy. “It was another great outing for Kenny. Ken wants the
ball in every big situation. You don’t see that very often from a
freshman.”
He scattered seven hits, allowing just three hits after the second
inning. He walked just one and struck out five. After Jared Kernodle made his 31st appearance of the year to equal the school-record, Thomas Girdwood
came on for the ninth, walking one and fanning one to earn his 10th
save of the season. The 10 saves ties the freshman for second on
Elon’s single-season chart and fourth on the program’s career list.
on seven hits and two walks in 6.1 innings of work. He struck out
three.
Davis was also 1-for-3 with a RBI. Harrilchak went 0-for-3 and was
held hitless in back-to-back games for the first time since March 16
and 18 in games against The Citadel and East Carolina, respectively.
Elon remains alive and will take on either second-seeded UNC
Wilmington or top-seed and second-ranked North Carolina at 1 p.m. on
Sunday afternoon. If the Phoenix wins that 1 p.m. contest, it will
turn around and play the other of those two schools at 5 p.m.