The High Point Panthers erased an early five-run deficit on their way to a 13-8 win over the Liberty Flames, Sunday afternoon, at Worthington Stadium, in the final game of the Big South three-game series and last regular season game for both teams.
 
The Panthers, who claimed the fourth place in the Big South Conference with the victory, conclude the regular season with a 14-10 mark in the Big South and 26-30 overall. The 26 wins matches the program's Division I high set in 2002. With the setback, the Flames will end up fifth in the Big South at 13-11 conference play and a 36-19 overall mark.

The two teams traded runs in the opening inning of the contest.  High Point scored on a solo home run by Mark Shorey, the right fielder's Big South leading 20th of the season, in the top half of the inning.  Liberty came back in the bottom inning as Michael Just reached on a bunt single, moved to third on a double by Aaron Grijalva and scored on a ground out by Phillip Laurent.
 
High Point added an unearned run in the second inning when Randy Schwartz reached on a single and later scored with two outs as the Liberty first baseman missed a throw from the third baseman on a ground ball.  Liberty answered with a single run in the third inning as Grijalva tripled off the top of the wall in right field and scored as Laurent beat out an infield hit.
 
The Flames took a 7-2 lead in the fourth inning, erupting for five runs.   With two outs and runners on the corners, Chad Miller hit a three-run home run over the center field wall to put Liberty up, 5-2.  Just continued the inning as he followed with a single and moved to second on a Grijalva walk. Laurent singled to right field plating Just.  Grijalva then raced home with the fifth run of the inning as Laurent got caught in a run down on a steal attempt, allowing the first baseman to score.
 
The Panthers matched in their next at bat posting five runs in the fifth.  Jeff Cowan started the inning with a double and moved to third on a single by Chris Norwood.  A wild pitch allowed Cowan to score.  Two more wild pitches then allowed Norwood to score cutting the Flames' advantage to 7-4.  With runners on the corners, J. Williams hit a three-run home run, his third of the year, over the center field wall to knot the game at 7-7.
 
In the sixth, High Point broke the deadlock with three more runs to take the lead for good.  Cowan lead off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a walk to Shorey.  Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch before Cowan scored on a RBI single by catcher Billy Aguiar.  After a Williams single, Schwartz plated both runners with a double putting HPU up, 10-7.
 
The Panthers added a pair of two-out runs in the top of the seventh.  Cowan walked and Norwood singled in front of a bases clearing double by Shorey. 
 
Liberty closed the gap to 12-8 with a single run in the bottom of the seventh.  With the bases loaded and one out, Phil John lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Patrick Gaillard, who had opened the frame with single.  High Point reliever Zach Scott got the next Flame to fly out to end the threat.
 
The Flames had another chance in the eighth after loading the bases with no outs, but came away empty when Panther closer Tom Boleska was able to strike out a batter and then induce an inning ending double play.
 
High Point closed the scoring with an unearned run in the ninth.
 
Liberty reliever Phillip Thompson, the third of five pitchers in the contest for the Flames, took the lost, allowing three runs on four hits in the sixth inning.  Scott, one of three High Point pitchers on the afternoon, picked up the win to even his mark at 1-1, holding Liberty to one run on four hits over three innings.
 
Williams was 4-for-6 with three RBI and scored two runs for the Panthers, while Shorey and Schwartz had three hits each. Shorey also added three RBI on the day. Keller went 4-for-5 for the second straight day to pace the Flames, while Just, Grijalva and Laurent each had two hits apiece.
 
Both teams now head to the 2006 Big South Baseball Championships scheduled to open Wednesday with three games at Charles Watson Stadium/Vrooman Field in Conway, S.C.  Liberty, the six-team field's fifth seed, will meet second-seeded Winthrop, at 3 p.m., while High Point, the fourth seed, will meet host Coastal Carolina, the third seed in the opening day's nightcap at 7 p.m.