The High Point baseball team belted out a season-high 18 hits en route to a convincing 16-3 victory over the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday afternoon at Erath Field.

Twelve different Panthers recorded hits including all nine starters as HPU improved to 15-20 overall this season. High Point has now won seven of its last eight games and recorded double digit hit totals in four of the last six contests. Duke slipped to 10-24 on the year with the loss.

High Point scored in each of the first seven innings thanks in part to getting the lead-off man on base in six of the seven frames. The bottom of the Panther order led the way as freshman Matt Gantner, batting eighth, went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs and fellow freshman Alfie Wheeler, hitting ninth, was 2-for-4 driving in a career best four runs.

HPU starter Chris Marks faced a bases loaded jam in the top of the first before inducing an inning-ending double-play to short to keep Duke off the board. High Point posted a run in the first as Jeff Cowan led off with a double down the left field line then scored on a Billy Aguiar single.

In the second, J. Williams and Randy Schwartz both singled and then scored on Gantner's first hit of the day giving HPU at 3-0 advantage. Jimmy Gallagher put the Blue Devils on the board in the top of the third after hitting a solo shot off Marks. Chris Norwood answered with a double to lead off the bottom half of the frame and scored on an error by the shortstop after advancing to third on a wild pitch.

The Panthers got another pair of runs in the fourth on a two-RBI single from Mark Shorey. Williams blasted his second homer off the year to lead off the fifth as High Point broke things open with back-to-back four run innings. HPU batted around in both the fifth and sixth innings.

Duke mustered a pair of runs in the sixth off HPU reliever David Parker before Tom Boleska, RJ Chlebnikow and Bubba O'Donnell combined to hold the Devils to no runs and just one hit with five strikeouts over the final three innings.

HPU added a pair of runs in the seventh for the final margin of victory. Eric Marion doubled in Jon Pavlack and then Alfie Wheeler recorded a sacrifice fly to score Marion.

"Chris Marks really pitched another solid game for us," said HPU head coach Sal Bando, Jr. "He has done a great job taking advantage of his midweek opportunities and has now put himself into the mix for the weekend. I was also glad to see Alfie have a great day not only at the plate but also in the field. We are playing with a great deal of confidence. Our confidence, hitting and solid fielding are all contagious right now."

Marks earned the win improving to 3-3 this season after scattering six hits over five innings of work and allowing just a single run. Andrew Wolcott (1-2) took the loss going 4.1 innings and allowing 12 hits and 10 runs (six earned).

In addition to Marion and Wheeler, High Point also got multi-hit performances from Cowan, Shorey and Williams. Cowan and Schwartz each extended their personal best season hit streaks to eight games each.

High Point, who is in the midst of a stretch of 13 home games in their next 16 contests, hosts Big South foe VMI this weekend in a key conference series. The Panthers and Keydets open the three-game set at 3 p.m. on Friday.