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Fourth-seeded Spartans fall to No. 2 Elon at SoCon tourney
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Senior Whitney Sirois had a two-run triple in a three-run sixth inning, but No. 4 seed UNC Greensboro could not complete its rally, falling to No. 2 seed Elon 6-4 at the Southern Conference Championship on Thursday.
UNCG will face third-seeded Georgia Southern in an elimination contest Friday at 11 a.m.
The teams combined for 24 hits on the evening, but it was a four-run sixth that pushed Elon (37-19) past the Spartans (26-29). All four of those runs were unearned.
Leading 2-1 heading into the sixth, Elon put together a two-out rally to blow the game open. After a UNCG error to lead off the inning, reliever Cory Mattson retired the next two batters. The Phoenix then got a single from Hannah Shelton and a walk from Lauren Taylor to load the bases, and Tomeka Watson drew an eight-pitch walk to force in a run.
Jacqueline Gonzalez then singled to left to knock in Taylor, but a two-base error on the play brought in two more runs to make it 6-4.
The Spartans fought back with three runs of their own in the bottom half, opening the frame with four straight hits. Eileen Horsmon smoked a double down the right field line to get the inning started, and Emily Akiyama and Heather Robb followed with singles to bring in Horsmon.
Sirois then stepped in and drilled a ball to the gap in right center, good for two more runs and her second career triple. Elon reliever Erin O'Shea stopped the bleeding, however, getting three straight outs to strand Sirois at third.
The Spartans jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, with Brittany Ausley leading off the game with a single through the left side, then moving to third on an Elon error on a failed pickoff. One out later, Alex Emeterio reached on an infield single, knocking in Ausley with the Spartans' first run.
Elon answered with a run in the top of the second, getting a two-out RBI single from Tomeka Watson. The Phoenix added another run in the fourth, when Ashlee Crewe took third on a wild pitch and scored on a UNCG error.
Taylor (16-7) picked up the win for Elon, allowing four runs on 11 hits in five-plus innings. O'Shea earned her first save of the season with two innings of two-hit work.
Amber Harrell (14-15) took the loss, allowing two runs on seven hits in four innings.
Ausley, Emeterio, Horsmon, Robb and Kaitlin Merkt had two hits each for the Spartans. Watson, Gonzalez, Crewe and Shelton did the same for Elon.
AGATE
Elon 6, UNC Greensboro 4 (May 13, 2010 at Chattanooga, Tenn.)
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Elon................ 010 104 0 - 6 11
1 (37-19)
UNC Greensboro...... 100 003 0 - 4 13
3 (28-29)
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Pitchers: Elon - Lauren Taylor; Erin O'Shea(6) and Kaitlyn
Piazzolla. UNC Greensboro -
Amber Harrell; Cory Mattson(5) and Eileen Horsmon; Whitney
Sirois.
Win-Lauren Taylor(16-7) Save-Erin O'Shea(1) Loss-Amber
Harrell(14-15) T-2:10 A-372
Weather: 84 degrees, mostly cloudy
Taylor faced 3 batters in the 6th.
- UNCG -
