Josh Cotten crushed three home runs for High Point, but No. 25 East Carolina withstood the onslaught for a 14-5 win Tuesday night in baseball action at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Pirates won their sixth straight and improve to 12-4, while the Panthers saw their three-game win streak snapped and dip to 9-12.

Scott Andrews (1-0) got the win for ECU, while Rob Bland (0-4) took the loss for High Point.

Cotten finished finished 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI and three runs scored.

Ricky Brooks started for ECU, but lasted only 1 1/3 innings after leaving the game early with an injury. Brooks allowed on run on two hits while striking out two and walking one. Andrews relieved Brooks, earning the win, tossing 2 2/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out two.

Bland took the loss, allowing four earned runs on seven hits. The junior right-hander struck out three and walked four Pirate batters. Bubba O'Donnell and Matt Christie pitched in relief for High Point.

The Pirates plated a run in the first when Costanzo came home on a Mark Minicozzi ground out to short. The Panthers responded in the second when Cotten hit a solo homer over the wall in left, tying the game up at 1-1.

ECU responded with five runs in the bottom of the second. Ryan Peisel scored on an error by the HPU shortstop, and Mollenhauer crossed the plate on an infield single by Costanzo. The next batter, Minicozzi, reached on another error to score Harrison Eldridge. Mike Grace then doubled to left-center, scoring Richardson and Costanzo to put the Pirates up 6-1 after two.

Cavanaugh hit his first home run of the year with a line shot to right-center in the bottom of the third, scoring Peisel to give ECU an 8-1. After Eldridge reached on a fielding error by the Panther second baseman, Richardson tripled over the centerfielder's head to bring home Eldridge for the Pirates' ninth run.

High Point got a run back in the top of the fourth when Ro Castro singled to right, scoring Bobby Brown from second. ECU loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning and a wild pitch brought home Grace to give ECU an eight-run lead after four.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, Richardson scored on a fielder's choice for his second run of the game.

Cotten hit his second homer of the game in the top of the sixth, just out of the reach of a leaping Eldridge over the wall in right to cut the Pirate lead to 11-3.

The Pirates added three more runs in the seventh before Cotten hit his third homer of the contest with a two-run shot to left, closing the scoring at 14-5. The dinger was Cotten's team-leading seventh of the year.

It was the first meeting between High Point and East Carolina in 34 years. HPU claimed a 9-8 win in High Point in 1971.

HPU opens Big South Conference play Friday at home against Coastal Carolina. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 pm.