ELON, NC – The Elon Phoenix scored six runs in the home eighth inning to break open a close game and defeat the North Carolina A&T Aggies 14-8 in Game 1 of a three-game Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) baseball series at Latham Park on Friday.

The battle for one of the six berths to the 2025 CAA Baseball Championship Tournament is heating up. The Aggies dropped to 14-26 overall and 8-8 in the CAA despite excellent games from freshmen Tyler Smith and JT Taylor. The loss puts A&T in a six-way tie for sixth place while Elon's Ryan Sprock and Will Vergantino homered to help the Phoenix improve to 17-24 overall and 7-9 league play, a game behind the Aggies.

Before Elon's big eighth inning, the Aggies used the visitor's seventh to stage a four-run rally, starting with an Enrique Wood bunt single and followed by a four-pitch walk to sophomore Jason Campo. Right-handed pitcher Sam Nomura (W, 3-0) replaced Elon starter and RHP Justin Mitrovich.

Nomura started his outing by hitting junior Nick DiCarlo with the second pitch he threw to him to load the bases. Wood scored on an RBI single by freshman Bruce Wyche, followed by an RBI single by Smith to score Campo. A two-run single from Taylor tied the game 8-8 before Nomura retired the next three batters he faced to leave the inning with the game still tied.

Freshman RHP Taili Thompson (L, 1-1) replaced A&T right-handed starter Angel Ortiz to open the home seventh after Ortiz pitched six innings. Thompson retired the Phoenix in order to move the game to the eighth inning, where the Aggies put the go-ahead run on second with two outs on a DiCarlo double. A walk to Wyche put two runners on before Smith grounded out to third to end the frame.

Elon's big eighth inning was highlighted by Vergantino's three-run home run that gave the Phoenix a 14-8 lead. The Aggies went through four pitchers in the eighth before junior RHP Matt Murtagh got Justin Szestowski to hit into a force play to end the inning with three runners left on. A&T got freshman Savoi Edwards to second base before the game ended on a strikeout.

Taylor went 2-for-5 with four RBIs and a run scored, including a double and his team-leading ninth home run. Smith also doubled, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. DiCarlo was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

After the two teams traded a run apiece in the first inning, the Aggies took the lead on a Smith RBI single to give the Aggies a 2-1 lead. Elon took the lead in the fourth inning with two runs before Sprock hit a two-run homer in the Elon fifth to give the Phoenix a 5-2 advantage going into the sixth. Taylor got the Aggies to within one on a two-run homer before Elon took an 8-4 lead with a three-run sixth inning.

Sprock went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBIs for Elon. Game 2 starts at 3 p.m. Saturday from Latham Park.