Click Here For Boxscore
Cary, NC -- Elon defeated Mount St. Mary’s 6-3 in the elimination game of the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament Cary Regional on Saturday.
Josh Vittek (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) paced the Mount (21-34) with a 3-for-4 performance, including a two-run homer in the eighth while Drew Counselman (Sykesville, Md./Liberty) hit a solo shot in the first in the loss.
"I think that we put on a pretty good show for two days in a row," said head coach Scott Thompson. "I could not be happier for our team and Mount St. Mary's University for our performance."
Ken Ferrer allowed three runs on seven hits in a career-high 7.2 innings to earn his fifth win of the season for the Phoenix (44-17) and Mike Melillo added a hit, two RBIs and two runs scored in the winning effort.
After Mount St. Mary’s grabbed a 1-0 edge after the first inning, Elon scored six unanswered runs and held on to move on to Sunday in the Cary Regional.
Counselman got the Mount started in the top of the first when the senior drilled his seventh home run for a 1-0 edge.
The Phoenix took a 2-1 lead in the second after plating two runs in the stanza. Melillo walked and came around to score on Mike Lobacz triple before Lobacz touched home on Greg Annarummo’s run-scoring single up the middle.
For the second-straight inning, a walk to start the inning came back to haunt the Mountaineers. Cory Harrilchak walked and then scored on Bennett Davis’ double to deep center to increase the Elon advantage to two runs.
After two scoreless innings, the Phoenix added two runs in the sixth to increase its margin to 5-1. Chase Austin put down a perfect bunt down the third base line before Melillo smashed a two-run homer over the center field wall.
Elon added an insurance run in the seventh after Chris Dove was hit by the pitch and came around to score on an error for a 6-1 advantage.
Mount St. Mary’s then came back with two runs in the eighth with two outs. Matt Eiden (Silver Spring, Md./St. John’s) doubled and came around to score on Vittek’s team-record 20th home run of the year to trim the deficit to 6-3.
The Mount threatened in the second when Kyle Kane (Boonsboro, Md./Boonsboro) and Zach Helman (Wayneboro, Pa./Waynesboro) each singled with one out, but Ferrar retired the final two batters on a fly out and pop up to end the threat. After Mount St. Mary’s put runners on the corners with one out in the second, Ferrar retired nine straight batters and 16 of 18 batters to get through seven innings.
Jared Kernodle recorded the last out in the ninth and Thomas Girdwood notched the final three outs to earn the save.
Vittek ends his career after breaking 13 program single-season or career records at the Mount, including the career and single-season marks for home runs, hits and RBIs.
The Mount, who participated in its first-ever NCAA Tournament after winning the Northeast Conference last weekend, finished the season with a 21-33 record.