Matt Kniginyzky threw a complete-game four-hitter to help High Point claim its first Big South victory of the season, a 4-1 win over UNC Asheville Saturday afternoon in game one of a doubleheader at Erath Field.

UNC Asheville rallied in the second game from a six-run deficit for a 10-9 extra-inning win and the doubleheader split.

In game one, Kniginyzky (2-4) struck out a career-best 12 hitters and allowed just a first-inning run to lead the Panthers to victory. David A. Williams (4-3) took the loss for the Bulldogs.

Asheville (15-17, 5-4 Big South) got its lone run on a first-inning single by Steve Sherman which scored Matt Roberts. The Panthers (6-29, 1-11) drew even in the bottom of the third on Matt Keever's sacrifice fly which scored Justin Pinyan and tied the game at 1-1.

HPU struck for three runs and the eventual winning margin in the sixth off Williams, who surrendered one-out singles to Chris Ramirez and Chris Draska before Seby Renta cleared the bases with a double to right center. After Nick Thompson reached on an infield single and Matt Richardson walked to load the bases, Corey Stang drew a walk, forcing in Renta for a 4-1 advantage which stood up as the winning margin.

The Panthers jumped out to a 6-0 advantage in game two, which was originally scheduled for seven innings but needed eight to decide things. Rey Rojas and Matt Keever led off with back-to-back singles off UNCA starter Granville Gehris in the first, and Ramirez walked to load the bases. Rojas scored on a fielder's choice by Chris Draska, and Keever came across when Stang reached on a fielding error. Nick Thompson's two-run single later in the inning plated Stang and Draska for a 4-0 High Point advantage.

HPU would add two more in the second on Ramirez's two-run single that scored Keever and Rojas.

The Bulldogs scraped together a pair of unearned runs to get within 6-2 in the top of the third off HPU starter Bob Helman. Ben Padgett and Charles Pippitt reached on consecutive Panther errors, and both scored on a double by Roberts.

High Point stretched its lead to 8-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Anthony Bell's infield single scored Josh Cotten and Stang came home on a wild pitch.

But the Bulldogs erased the gap in a hurry with six runs in the top of the sixth to tie the score at 8-8. Steve Burnich brought home Sherman and Nick Jaksa with a two-run single. After pinch-hitter Tony Wall drew a walk, Mark Shorey relieved Helman and induced a fielder's choice by Padgett which scored Coyle and pulled UNCA within 8-5 with two outs.

Pippitt then stepped to the plate and belted a three-run homer to right center which scored Padgett and pinch-runner Todd Coggins and knotted things up.

The score remained the same until the top of the eighth, when Asheville pushed two across against HPU reliever Travis Motsinger (0-2). An RBI single by Padgett scored Burnich and broke the tie, followed by a fielder's choice by Pippitt which plated Coggins for a 10-8 lead.

Keever led off the bottom of the eighth with a double off Aaron Rembert (4-4), advanced to third on a groundout and scored on another grounder by Draska to make it 10-9. But Rembert, who threw 5 1/3 innings of relief in both games combined, got Cotten to ground out and the Bulldogs salvaged the doubleheader split.

The Bulldogs' comeback victory marked the seventh time this season (and second of the weekend) that HPU had out-hit its opponent but failed to win the game.

High Point hosts Gardner-Webb on Wednesday at 3:00 pm at Erath Field before a non-conference series against The Citadel in Charleston next weekend. UNC Asheville visits Furman Tuesday night (7:00 pm).