The High Point University baseball team tallied just four hits in a disappointing 4-0 shutout loss at Western Carolina on Tuesday night.

The Panthers (25-28) suffered their second straight loss and the eighth in their last 10 games. Western Carolina improved to 38-15 overall after earning the season sweep of games against HPU.

High Point starter Tony Flores (4-2) and Western Carolina's Tyler Johnson (3-3) settled into a pitching battle early in the game as both hurlers put zeroes on the board in each of the first four innings.

HPU had its best scoring opportunity in the fourth as Bill Manion singled and moved to third on a single by J. Williams with two outs.

The Catamounts finally scratched three runs across the plate in the fifth benefiting from two hit batsmen and a walk. Nick Liles singled to open the frame and then moved to second on a one-out single by Brent Greer. Barrett Shaft was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Blake Murphy followed with an RBI walk for the first run. Steven Strausbaugh forced home another run when he was clipped by a pitch and Kenny Smith concluded the scoring in the frame with a sacrifice fly.

WCU notched their final tally in the seventh as Shaft walked and went to third on a single by Murphy. Smith then recorded an RBI fielder's choice.

Flores worked five innings allowing three runs on just two hits in taking the hard-luck loss. Matt Christie making just his second appearance since February surrendered a single run on three hits in three innings of relief work for HPU.

Johnson struck out six and gave up only three hits in five innings of shutout work. A trio of Catamount relievers maintained the victory for WCU after working four innings of one-hit action.

High Point will conclude the regular season portion of its 2007 slate on Wednesday on the road at long time rival Elon at 7 p.m.