The Phoenix baseball team has fallen into a slump at an inopportune time. Last week the team was sitting in second place in the Big South Conference going into a weekend series with top ranked Winthrop University. After the first game of the series against the Eagles was rained out April 18, the Phoenix dropped both games in the doubleheader April 19.

The weekend had major changes on the leader board as Coastal Carolina University jumped up to first place and Elon dropped to 4.5 games back from the Chanticleers. Winthrop dropped 2.5 games back from Coastal Carolina as well.

Elon’s April 21 meeting with the University of North Carolina could have continued the team’s losing streak. But the Phoenix were ready to play facing the 22nd-ranked Tar Heels in a classic pitchers’ duel. The game went into extra innings for the first time this season for the Phoenix. Junior Mike Fratoe used his second hit of the night to blast a solo homerun in the top of the 12th to give the Phoenix the 4-3 victory and their second win over a top-25 ranked team this season. The victory also gave Elon an 18-16 record against Atlantic Coast Conference teams. The win snaped a three game losing skid for the Phoenix but was not enough to gain ground in the standings.

The Phoenix losing skid continued April 21 against the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in eight innings. Justin Weeks put in a solid 5.2 innings giving up three earned runs off of seven hits, sitting down two, while facing 24 batters. Brian Ingram helped the Phoenix offense with a solo home run, his seventh of the year and hit 1-3 at the plate. Left fielder Chris Price also had a productive night at the plate hitting 1-3 with a run.

But the Phoenix could not take over protect the two run lead in the eighth inning. Spartan sophomore Jay Maule took relief pitcher Luke Pangle’s pitch out of the ballpark for a three run blast.

The Phoenix were not able to plate any runs in the ninth inning to give the Spartan’s their second victory over Elon this season. Pangle now holds a 4-2 record on the season after the loss. Elon dropped to 23-16-1 on the season with the loss.

The Phoenix losing streak started at the wrong place and at the wrong time in Rock Hill, S.C. Entering the contest, the Phoenix were a game and half back of the Winthrop Eagles and coach Mike Kennedy hoped to leave the series with at least one victory. But with rains canceling the first match, the Phoenix were forced to attempt to capture one game on April 19 in the double header.

In the first game of the double header junior Matt Garner took the mound for his 11th start of the season for the Phoenix. Garner pitched for six complete innings and faced 26 Winthrop batters. He got off to a rough start hitting two Eagles in the first inning setting up one of the three earned runs Garner gave up in the game. Freshman Lance Cole replaced Garner in the seventh inning with the game knotted at four runs. But the rookie was not able to hang on, when David Soggin hit a three run blast off Cole to give Winthrop the 7-4 victory in the first game.

Elon’s offense was productive at the plate in the first game. Garry Morris hit a solo home run in the first inning to give the Phoenix an early 1-0 advantage; Morris also hit 2-4 at the plate and drove in two RBIs. Holt Montgomery also went yard, with a two run blast in the fourth inning and went 2-4 at the plate with one run and 2 RBIs.

In the second game of the contest the Phoenix offense was not able to get any big rallies started. Barry Tejeda led the team with one hit, one RBI and a home run with three appearances at the plate. Evan Tartaglia had four hits at four at bats during the day. The Eagles outhit the Phoenix 10-5 in the game.

Tyson Blocker’s 5.1 innings were not easy, as the senior gave up eight hits, seven runs (six earned runs) and struck out four of the 25 Eagles he faced. Blocker now has a record of 4-4 with a 4.14 ERA, sixth on the Phoenix list.