The High Point baseball team looked to even the weekend series with South Florida but came up short on Saturday night in a hard-fought 5-2 loss at Red McEwen Field.

HPU falls to 2-3 on the year while the Bulls improve to 2-0. The win was the 600th career win for USF head coach Lelo Prado.
 
High Point scored their first runs of the weekend in their opening at-bat taking a 2-0 lead in the first. Freshman Robby Kuzdale led off with a double to left but was caught stealing at third. Sophomore Jeff Cowan walked and then scored on a double by Billy Manion following a flyout by Chris Norwood. Matt Schlanger singled Manion home for the second run.
 
The Bulls cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning, bringing the score to 2-1.  Junior shortstop Walter Diaz reached base after being hit by a pitch, stole second base, then took third on a throwing error by the Panthers' catcher. Junior Joey Angelberger reached on an error by the third baseman, which scored Diaz from third.
 
HPU looked to get another run in the second when freshman catcher Tucker Stobbe tripled with one out but was left stranded on a groundout and a strikeout.
 
The Bulls eventually tied the game in the fifth. Charles Cleveland walked, then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Dexter Butler. Cleveland advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored when sophomore Braulio Pardo singled through the right side to earn the RBI.
 
USF put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh, led by a single through the right side from Pardo. Diaz doubled to left-center field, and advanced to third on an error by the center fielder, forcing Pardo across home plate for the go-ahead run. Junior Josh LeRoy doubled to left center, registering an RBI as Diaz scored USF's fourth run of the game. The Bulls added an insurance run in the eighth.
 
Senior right-hander Yuri Higgins entered the game in the ninth, earning his first save of the season, the seventh of his career, facing five batters.
 
High Point finished with six hits and for the second day in the row stranded eight baserunners. Schlanger was the team's top hitter recording a pair of hits and an RBI. Randy Schwartz and Kuzdale each tallied hit to record a hit in their fifth straight game.

Senior Matt Christie started the game for the Panthers allowing just two runs in five innings of work. Glenn Jones (0-1) suffered the loss for HPU giving up two runs in 1.1 innings of work.

Pardo ended the game 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored, while Diaz and LeRoy were each 1-for-4 with an RBI apiece.
 
Freshman right-handed pitcher Matt Quevedo came in the game in the fourth, pitching four innings and earning the win (1-0) facing 13 batters, with three strike outs. Daniel Thomas pitched four innings, striking out five, allowing two runs as the USF starter.
 
The Bulls and Panthers return to Red McEwen Field for the final contest of the three-game series on Sunday, Feb. 11. The first pitch is scheduled for noon.