The High Point University baseball team came up just short in a hard-fought 5-4 loss in the series finale against Winthrop on Tuesday afternoon at Coy O. Williard Sr. Stadium.

The Panthers (24-25, 9-9 Big South) dropped their third straight and 12th in a row to the Eagles despite out-hitting the visitors, 9-6, for the first time in the series. Winthrop (30-19, 14-1) moved to the top of the Big South standings after extending their current win streak to seven games.

HPU got a solid pitching performance on Tuesday beginning with junior starter Bubba O'Donnell (3-5), who allowed just three earned runs in 6.1 innings on the hill. Five Panther relievers also combined for 2.3 innings of hitless, scoreless work.

Winthrop starter Josh McDonald (5-2) answered High Point on the mound scattering four hits over six innings. McDonald carried a no-hitter into the fifth and allowed just one earned run.

The Eagles got on the board in the top of the first as leadoff hitter Chris Carrara slapped a single to left and then scored on a triple in the right centerfield gap by Phil Carey. O'Donnell set down the next three hitters but delivered a wild pitch that allowed Carey to cross the plate for a 2-0 Winthrop lead.

High Point trimmed their deficit in half in the fifth. Chris Norwood started things off with a double to right ending McDonald's no-hit bid. Eric Marion then laid down a sacrifice bunt advancing Norwood to third, but reached base when McDonald's throw drew the Eagle first baseman of the bag. Pablo Rosario followed with an RBI groundout to second.

Winthrop answered with a pair of runs in the sixth. Lentz reached on an error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Billy Froehlich doubled Lentz home, moved to third on a flyout and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Mike Honce putting the Eagles in front, 4-1.

Back-to-back one out singles by Carrara and Carey and a walk by Lentz loaded the bases in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Louis Ullrich recorded a sacrifice fly giving Winthrop a 5-1 advantage.

The Panthers started their comeback in the eighth. Jeff Cowan led off the frame with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Bill Manion singled moving Cowan to third and Randy Schwartz lifted a ball to deep left centerfield. Winthrop's Lentz made a diving catch to rob Schwartz of extra bases and turning the blast into a sacrifice fly to limit High Point to a single run.

In the ninth, Norwood singled to start the inning and moved to second on a groundout. Alfie Wheeler delivered a two-out run scoring single to pull the Panthers to within one at 5-4 before Winthrop's Ryan Schwartz induced a game-ending flyout to earn his first save of the season.

Norwood (3-for-4) and Wheeler (2-for-4) both tallied multiple hit performances with Norwood scoring a pair of runs. Carrara topped the Eagle offense with two hits and two runs scored.

High Point concludes its 2007 home schedule and Big South Conference slate this weekend with a three-game set against Charleston Southern beginning on Friday at 7 p.m.