After sophomore Sean Farrell's second throwing error at third base led to three Phoenix runs, what nearly happened was a loss.
But four runs in the final two innings and a two-run triple off the bat of Jason Howell in the bottom of the ninth gave the Tar Heels a 5-4 victory in front of 105 at Boshamer Stadium and kept Fox from kicking himself too hard.
"I'm not sure we deserved to win that one," Fox said, "because early in the game, certainly, they were outplaying and outhitting us. We just kind of hung in there."
The Tar Heels (17-11) hung in long enough for Elon reliever Adam Acosta to hang a pitch over the inside of the plate to Howell with one out in UNC's final at bat. Howell, who started the game on the mound for UNC, hooked a 1-2 offering sharply down the first-base line, scoring Farrell and Ryan Blake from second and third.
Farrell had reached first when Elon shortstop Brian Ingram's throw to first pulled Morgan Frazier off the bag. He advanced to second when Acosta hurled a wild pitch past Blake.
"I was looking for anything to get the ball into the outfield," Howell said. "I didn't want to hit anything on the ground, hit into a double play. So I just looked for something to drive."
UNC put up two runs in the eighth to cut Elon's lead to 4-3. Howell knocked in Blake with a double into right-center, then crossed the plate himself two batters later when Ron Braun hit a single to left.
Three of the Phoenix's runs came in the fourth when Farrell, making his first start of the season at third, pulled Blake off first for the second time of the game with runners on the corners and no outs.
He made a great low stab down the line to knock the ball down, but when he came up throwing, it was shades of Chuck Knoblauch as the ball drifted to Blake's right, loading the bases. Farrell forced a runner at the plate on the next play, but a sacrifice fly and a pair of singles put UNC in a 3-1 hole.
