March 10, 2010
ELON, N.C. -- Grant McCoury's pinch-hit double to center drove in pinch-runner David Wood from second base as the Phoenix of Elon (8-4) capped a six-run ninth for a 10-9 win over Old Dominion (9-6). ODU sophomore outfielder Kenny Stoneback (Colonial Heights, VA.) hit two homers and knocked in four runs for the Monarchs on the day.
ODU also turned a triple play. In the second inning The Phoenix' Seth Canipe and Matt Hinson started the Elon second with back-to-back singles. The threat was quickly snuffed out by the Monarchs (9-6) who turned a Scott Riddle line drive into a 4-6-3 (Austin Wright, to Chris Buss to John Malbon) triple play to keep the game scoreless.
The Monarchs got on the board in the fourth inning after Nathan Hartman (Orlando, FL.) walked to lead off the frame, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and then scored on Chris Buss' Rosemount, MN.) double down the left field line. The double was the first hit of the game for ODU. Kenny Stoneback followed with a single to center, putting runners on the corners. Brandon Shelton's (Chesapeake, Va.) ground ball to second was booted as Buss came home.
Mike Melillo led off the bottom of the fourth with a triple into the right field corner. After Neal Pritchard was hit by a pitch, Ryan Adams lifted a sacrifice fly into left-center to drive home Melillo with the first Phoenix run.
Jake McAloose (Virginia Beach, VA.) drew a walk to begin the ODU fifth before a sac bunt moved him to second. McAloose then scored on a Hartman single down the left field line as the Monarchs' advantage grew to 3-1. After a flyout moved Hartman to third and a walk put Buss aboard, Stoneback sent his first homer of the year over the wall in left to give ODU a 6-1 lead.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Harry Austin singled through the left side of the infield before Niko Fraser was hit by a pitch. The Monarchs looked to be out of the inning when Alex Swim popped a ball up in the middle of the diamond, but the ODU middle infielders collided and the ball fell as Austin scored. With runners on the corners, Melillo singled to left-center, driving home Fraser. On the play, Swim headed for third, but the throw was off the mark and Swim scored to pull Elon within two at 6-4.
After the first two hitters in the top of the eighth were set down by Dylan Clark, Ken Ferrer came on to allow a single to Austin Wright (Virginia Beach, Va.) before walking three straight hitters to force in the seventh ODU tally. Edgar Hernandez (Puerto Rico) then walked on five pitches to plate McAloose.
Stoneback added another to the Monarchs' total when he led off the top of the ninth with his second homer of the game, this one down the left field line.
In its half of the ninth, Elon got a leadoff walk to Fraser who then went to second on Swim's single. Melillio's single drove home Fraser to make it 9-5 before the Monarchs turned the ball over to Adam Wisniewski. After a wild pitch moved both Swim and Melillo into scoring position, Pritchard struck out swinging on a wild pitch and reached first. On the play, Swim scored and Melillo headed to third. The Phoenix then tied the score at nine on an Adams homer to right, his fourth of the season. Canipe was then hit by a pitch to put the winning run aboard. Wood came on to run for Canipe and took second on a wild pitch before the first out was recorded. ODU then intentionally walked Riddle to set up a force out at any base before McCoury came on to hit for Austin. McCoury sent a 1-1 pitch deep to center which just went off the glove of Stoneback for the game-winning double.
Gunther (1-0) picked up the win after he allowed one run on one hit and two walks in 1.1 innings out of the bullpen. The Phoenix pitchers issued 12 walks on the day.
The late Elon inning rally wasted a stellar start from ODU senior Chris Boggs (Front Royal, Va.)who scattered seven hits over 6.2 innings. Boggs gave up three runs, just one of which was earned.
Adams finished the afternoon with four RBI while Melillo posted a career-high tying four hits, scored twice and drove in two to lead Elon at the plate.
Stoneback had a 3-for-5 day for ODU, while RBI machine Nathan Hartman knocked in two more runs to give him21 on the season in just 15 games which ranked him third in the CAA.
The Monarchs travel to Deland, FL. for a three-game weekend series at Stetson, beginningFriday evening
ODU 000 240 021 -9-8-3Elon 000 100 306 10-13-2
ODU Battery: Boggs, Toth(7), Wisniewski(9), McCarthy(9) and HernandezStetson Battery: Reichenbach, Stokes(4), Webb(5), Webb(7), Clark(8), Ferrer(9) and Meillo
WP: Gunther (1-0) LP: Wisniewski(1-1)
HR: ODU- Stoneback 2 (2)
Elon: Adams(4)