High Point scored six runs in the top of the second inning Saturday, and held on to beat Gardner-Webb 8-4 in Division I baseball action.
The Panthers (5-2) scored quickly in the second inning, using a Dan Jones SAC fly to plate Andy Harney for a 1-0 lead. A two-RBI single by Jayson Hoffman on batter later scored John Cavanaugh and Ran Thiede for a 3-0 edge and, two batters later, Michael Lowman drove in a pair of runs with a single for a 5-0 lead that chased Gardner-Webb starter Jeff Hulse from the game. Harney, who batted twice in the inning, drove in the sixth run with a SAC fly RBI to right before GWU reliever Dan Rothem struck out Thiede to end the inning.
High Point would add another run in the fourth for a 7-0 lead, but Gardner-Webb rallied off Panther starter Riley Gostisha in the bottom of the fifth to pull within striking distance.
Gardner-Webb (2-3) led off the fifth with three-straight singles and scored its first run off Clint Abernathy's RBI fielder's choice. Matt Southwell's high-hopping infield single loaded the bases again for GWU and, one batter later, Blake Lalli drove in two runs with an RBI single to make the score 7-3. Darin Thompson followed Lalli with an RBI single, scoring Southwell to trim the Panthers' lead to three.
High Point pushed its lead back to four runs in the sixth, when Lowman picked up another RBI with a single that scored Colin Cronin. Clayton Gordner came on to pitch the final three innings for the Panthers and allowed only two hits to hold the lead.
Gardner-Webb outhit the Panthers, 12-11, on the afternoon, but stranded 10 runners. The Bulldogs were led by Southwell (2-4), Watts (2-4), Lalli
(2-5) and Thompson (2-5) at the plate. Cronin (3-4, 3 runs) and Lowman (2-5, 3 RBI) led the Panthers' attack.
Gostisha picked up the win for High Point, working six complete innings and scattering 10 hits with five strikeouts. Hulse took the loss for GWU, allowing six runs off of five hits in 1.1 innings of work. Relievers Clay Konas and Brook Collins worked two scoreless innings for the Bulldogs to close out the game.
Both teams will face off again Sunday afternoon in High Point. First pitch is slated for 1:00 pm.
