Sophomore Billy Alvino blasted a walk-off homer in extra innings of the second game to help the High Point baseball team salvage a split of their doubleheader against Lafayette College on Saturday afternoon at Coy O. Williard, Sr. Stadium.

High Point (10-12) dropped the opening game 9-5 before rallying for the game two victory, 5-4, against Lafayette (6-6).

"All it takes is one swing of the bat in this wind," said HPU head coach Sal Bando, Jr., "(Billy) Alvino did it when it counted the most. Walk-off wins are always nice to have. We didn't play very good baseball today. We are lucky that we ended the day with a split, and I'm anxious to see how we come out and play tomorrow."

On a blustery, cold day both teams had early chances to score but could not get their offenses on track with neither team scratching the scoring column until the fourth inning of the opening game. Lafayette left the bases load in the first inning while HPU stranded runners in scoring position in both of the first two frames.

HPU scored first putting up two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Matt Schlanger singled and moved to second on a wild pitch before scoring on an RBI single by Chris Norwood. Alfie Wheeler singled Norwood to third, who then scored on a throwing error by the Lafayette shortstop to put High Point up 2-0.

The Leopards answered with four runs in their next at-bat aided by two of High Point's five errors in the game.

High Point knotted the score at four with a pair of runs in the seventh. Randy Schwartz delivered the scoring blow lacing a two-RBI double to left field. The tie was short-lived as Lafayette added three runs in the eighth taking advantage of a two-out error by the Panthers that allowed Butler to eventually hit a three-run homer.

The Panthers got one run back in the bottom of the eighth as Wheeler singled with two outs and moved to third on a double by Robby Kuzdale. Jeff Cowan reached on an error that allowed Wheeler to cross the plate. Lafayette closed the scoring with a pair of insurance runs in the ninth for the 9-5 final count.

HPU finished with 13 hits as six different players posted multiple hits led by a 3-for-5 performance from Schwartz, who also drove in two runs. Panther starter Eammon Portice had eight strikeouts in six innings of work in a no-decision while Chad Jennings (1-1) suffered the loss after allowing five runs in 1.2 innings of relief. LC reliever Kevin Reese (1-0) picked up the win.

Game two, which was scheduled for seven innings, started very similar to the opening contest as the two teams struggled to take advantage of scoring chances. Lafayette stranded eight runners over the first four innings.

High Point got on the board in the third behind a two-run blast for Kuzdale and a sacfice fly by Alvino. The homer was the first for Kuzdale this season.

Lafayette evened the score at three in the fifth as Nick Benvenuto launched a three-run homer over the right field fence. HPU pushed back in front with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Wheeler drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on a single by Kuzdale. Cowan grounded into a double-play that allowed Wheeler to score.

The Leopards again tied the game rallying with a run in the sixth. After a pair of scoreless frames, Lafayette starter Matt Kamine recorded two outs in the eighth before Alvino ended the game with the Panthers first walk-off hit of the season, driving the second pitch he saw over the leftfield wall.

Kamine (2-2) pitched 7.2 innings in the loss while HPU reliever Tom Boleska (2-1) earned the victory after allowing just one hit over the final 1.2 innings. Panther starter Bubba O'Donnell worked 5.2 innings and recorded five strikeouts with no walks.

Kuzdale led HPU at the plate with two hits and two RBIs. The homerun by Alvino, his only hit of the game, was his second of the year.

The Panthers and Leopards will play the deciding game-three of their series on Sunday at 1 p.m.