March 29, 2008

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Bennett Davis went 2-for-4 with a home run and drove in four runs to lead Elon past Furman, 15-12, Friday night in the opener of a three-game Southern Conference baseball series at Furman Stadium.

Davis delivered a two-run single in a five-run Phoenix second inning and later belted a two-run home run in a five-run fifth to help Elon (20-6, 5-2 SoCon) take a 12-1 lead. The Phoenix, however, were forced to survive a testy ninth inning that saw Furman (12-9, 1-3 SoCon) rally from a 15-6 defict with six runs and bring the potential winning run to the plate. Elon's Thomas Girdwood, however, choked off Furman's comeback attempt by inducing a game inning force play off the bat of Furman's Tom Andrews with the bases loaded.

In a game that featured two of the league's top starting pitchers in Furman's Jay Jackson and Elon's Steve Hensley, neither junior right-hander proved to be highly effective. Few in attendance also figured to see a game that would last three hours and 47 minutes.

Jackson (5-1), who took the loss, lasted only four innings before departing with Furman trailing 7-1. The former Christ Church Episcopal star, the victim of poor control and poor defense behind him, allowed only three hits but surrendered seven runs, only three of which were earned, while issuing a career high seven walks. He struck out three.

Hensley, who like Jackson entered the game with a perfect 5-0 record on the season, fared better until the fith, when he couldn't pitch around an error that opened the the frame. After getting two outs, the Asheville, N.C., product issued a pair of walks and three singles that led to four unearned runs before he was pulled one out shy of qualifying for the win. He surrendered five hits and five unearned runs while walking three and striking out five.

Chase Austin and Cory Harrilchak paced Elon's 16-hit attack with a pair of 3-for-6 performances. Austin also homered and drove in three runs, and Donny Jobe scored three runs.

Furman managed 10 hits in the contest that saw the Paladins commit a season high four errors.

Aaron Thompkins, who came on as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning, led Furman at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a three RBI, and Bobby Hubbard went 2-for-2 with a triple and scored two runs.

Earning the win for Elon was Greg Jones (2-0), who came on the fourth in relief of Hensley and worked 1 1/3 innings of no-hit ball.

The Phoenix took advantage of pair of Furman errors to grab a 2-0 lead in the first. Chris Dove led off with a walk and Donny Jobe was awarded first base on catcher's interference. With one out, Ryan Adams singled to right field to score Dove, and Jobe came around to score after Paladin right fielder Campbell Lewis allowed the ball to get past him for the Paladins' second error of the frame.

Elon extended the lead with five more runs in the second, taking advantage of four walks by Jackson and another Paladin fielding error to extend the lead to 7-0. Two-run singles by Davis and Chase Austin marked the Phoenix's only hits of the inning.

Furman got on the board with a run in third, but Elon answered with a five-run fifth to extend their advantage to 12-1. Chase Austin's lead off home run off Furman's Jay Friedman got the frame started, and later Davis capped the inning with a two-run blast over the left field fence.

Furman struck for four in the fifth, highlighted by Thompkins' two-run single, to narrow the lead to 12-5.

After both teams scratched for runs to make is 13-6 heading into the ninth, the Phoenix scored twice in their last at bat to make it 15-6.

Furman, however, refused to go easy even after Cameron Allmendinger opened the bottom of the ninth with a groundout. Four hits, including a two-run double by Ryan Lee, four walks, and a hit batsman produced six Paladin runs and a bases loaded, two-out situation for Tom Andrews, who represented the winning run. Andrews, however, couldn't deliver as Elon closer Thomas Girdwood worked him for a soft grounder that Phoenix third baseman Bennett Davis fielded and threw to second base to retire Allemendiger to end the contest.

First pitch for Saturday's contest has been moved up to 4:00 p.m. due to threat of wet weather Saturday evening.