The High Point baseball team dropped the weekend series finale against Dayton, 5-1, on Sunday afternoon at George Earth Field.

The Panthers allowed single runs in five innings is falling to 7-11 on the year while the Flyers rode the strong right arm of starter Chris Rubio to improve to 4-5 this season.

Rubio (1-1) scattered five hits over eight innings of work allowing just one earned run while stranding nine and letting just two HPU baserunners reach third. High Point starter freshman Tom Boleska (0-4) had his best outing this season going 5.2 innings and allowing three runs on just six hits.

"Tom (Boleska) really had a solid outing for us today," said HPU head coach Sal Bando, Jr. "I was also proud of our play defensively. Unfortunately we just weren't able to get anything going at the plate. I have to tip my hat to Dayton because Rubio pitched a heckuva ballgame. We just have to get back to work and continue to improve in all areas."

Dayton got on the board in the top of the first using classic "small ball" tactics to plate the run. Michael Massa led off with a single then stole second. Galen Schumm moved him to third with a groundout to second followed by a sacrifice fly to center by Bobby Getty.

The Flyers used another sacrifice fly in the fourth to go up 2-0 before adding a third run in the sixth on a double by Bryan Chandler and an RBI single from Joe McSoley. An inning later, UD upped the score to 4-0 as a leadoff walk to Roberto Ramos proved costly as he scored on a Schumm double following a sacrifice bunt by Massa.

High Point scored its lone run of the game in the eighth. Jeff Cowan singled to lead off the frame and after a pair of flyouts moved to third on a single by Billy Aguiar. Randy Schwartz then slashed a single through the right side of the infield to score Cowan. HPU loaded the bases but Rubio got out of the jam getting pinch hitter Chris Marks to fly out to center.

Schumm, who went 4-for-5 on the day, provided Dayton with an insurance run as he drove in Josh Burt with his third double of the game. Craig Rohren pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth to preserve the win for the Flyers.

Schwartz and Aguiar both finished the day with two hits to lead the High Point batters with Schwartz driving in the lone run.

High Point next hits the road for a game at Triad-rival North Carolina A&T on Tuesday at 3 p.m., before coming home for a three-game set versus Jacksonville State next weekend. HPU and JSU are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 11 (Noon) and a single game on Sunday, Mar. 12 (1 p.m.)