After a pair of nail-biting losses in the first two games of the series, the High Point baseball team suffered a disappointing 10-1 loss to Winthrop in the series finale on Sunday.

The loss, the fifth straight for HPU, drops High Point's record to 24-29 overall and 12-9 in the Big South. Winthrop improves to 41-12 and a league leading 16-5 in conference action.

In earning their 10th straight victory, the Eagles jumped out to a big lead early –putting up five runs in the first against High Point's starting pitcher David Parker (2-3) and adding three in the second against reliever Bubba O'Donnell.
 
In just 2/3 of an inning, Parker allowed five runs on six hits as ten Winthrop batters came to the plate in the first. Junior second baseman Chris Carrara (2-5) jumped started the attack with a triple into left field, and with Rollins (1-3) at the plate, scored the first run of the game on Parker's wild pitch.
 
Jacob Dempsey hit his 16th home run of the season – a solo shot into right field, to give the Eagles a 2-0 advantage. Junior center fielder Tommy Lentz kept Winthrop rolling with a double. Freshman right fielder Phil Carey (1-3, RBI) reached on a fielder's choice, and Parker's wild throw to third allowed Lentz to score the third run of the inning. Matt Repec's base hit through the right side bumped Carey around to third, and Ben Ehrlich plated him with a single into left field. Alan Robbins kept the inning alive with a two-out single up the middle, scoring Repec to push Winthrop's lead to 5-0 before High Point went to the bullpen for Bubba O'Donnell, who got Carrara to line out to the short stop and end the inning.
 
But after Heath Rollins (11-3), who allowed just one run on seven hits in six innings, set the Panthers down in order in the second, the Eagles got to O'Donnell for three runs in the home half of the frame. Rollins got an infield single to start the inning, and moved around to second as Dempsey reached on an error by High Point first baseman Randy Schwartz. Lentz's single into left field sent Rollins in to score, and Carey followed with a double to score Dempsey, before Repec's sac fly pushed Winthrop's lead to 8-0.
 
The Eagles added another run in the fourth, as Repec posted an RBI-double down the left field line to score Carey who got on base via a walk.
 
The Panthers busted up the shutout in the fifth, sending across a run on an RBI-double from short stop Alfie Wheeler.
 
While relievers Ryan Schwartz, Chase Edwards and Bryn Henderson held High Point to just three hits over the final three scoreless innings, sophomore third baseman Mitch Saum (1-4) and Robbins hit back-to-back doubles to give Winthrop its final run in the bottom of the fifth.
 
High Point's reliever corps of Chris Marks, Zach Zupan and Tom Boleska also worked four scoreless innings to finish out the contest. Schwartz and J. Williams paced the HPU offense going 2-for-4 at the plate.

HPU will close out their regular season slate on the road visiting Liberty for a three-game set starting on Friday, May 19. The Panthers have already clinched a spot in the Big South Conference Tournament in Conway, S.C., on May 24-27.