Feb. 11, 2006
Columbia, S.C. – Lance Cole and Ryan Basham combined to shut 14th ranked South Carolina out after the first inning Saturday and Elon tallied unearned runs in the fifth and sixth for a 2-1 win that evened the baseball series season opening baseball series.
The rubber game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Sunday at Sarge Frye Field.
Cole worked 7 2/3 innings to earn the victory. He allowed all five South Carolina hits, four of them in the first two innings. Basham pitched one 1/3 hitless innings and got out of a mild ninth inning jam when South Carolina catcher Trent Kline hit into a game ending double play.
A two out first inning home run by Neil Giesler staked South Carolina to a 1-0 lead. Robbie Grinestaff and Reese Havens followed with base hits and Justin Smoak walked to load the bases. However, Mark Stanley flied out to end the inning.
Kline led off the second inning with a single but was left on base. South Carolina’s only hit after the second inning was a two out single by Giesler in the fifth.
Arik Hempy held Elon hitless through the first .four innings but the Phoenix parlayed one hit and an error each inning for single runs in the fifth and sixth to saddle Hempy with the loss.
Drew Davis reached on an error to lead off the Elon fifth. He was sacrificed to second and scored on a double by Adam Weaver. In the sixth inning Donny Jobe led off with a single. He moved all the way to third on Hempy’s wild throws on a sacrifice bunt by Paul Bennett. Davis scored on a sacrifice fly by Chris Price. Conor Lalor pitched the final three innings for South Carolina. He allowed three hits but no runs.
Havens walked and Stanley reached on an error to give South Carolina two base runners with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning but Kline grounded to shortstop Paul Bennett who tagged second and threw to first for a game ending double play.
Of the 27 outs registered by the South Carolina offense, 18 came on fly balls to the outfield and two were infield pop ups. Elon left fielder Price made eight putouts, three of them, diving catches. Center fielder Ryan Addison had six putouts and right fielder Grant Rembert had four.
