The High Point University baseball team suffered a pair of hard-luck losses to VMI in doubleheader action on Saturday afternoon at Coy O. Williard Sr. Stadium. The Panthers fell 5-3 in game one and 3-0 in the second game.

HPU slipped to 4-17 overall and 0-3 in Big South play while VMI improved to 8-12 and 3-0 in league play.

VMI rallied with four runs in the ninth including back-to-back homeruns from Jordan Ballard and Brian Sandridge to earn a 5-3 victory in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader between the High Point and the Keydets.

Jason Farley (2-2) worked an inning of scoreless relief to earn the win for VMI  while Travis Smink pitched the ninth in securing his first save of the year. Bubba O'Donnell (1-1) suffered the loss for the Panthers.

Billy Alvino and Randy Schwartz each tallied two hits to lead the Panthers at the plate. Tanner Biagini fashioned a perfect 5-for-5 day at the plate in the first game to spark the VMI lineup.

The Keydets pushed a run across in the first inning as Thane Smith slapped a two-out single to center scoring Mike Roberts. High Point answered with a pairof runs in the second to earn their first lead at 2-1. Matt Gantner singled to right center scoring Schwartz from third and Chris Norwood, who was running on the swing, from first.

The Panthers added a run in the third on a two-out double by Alvino that scored Jeff Cowan from first.

The two squads battled through five scoreless innings before VMI finally broke the drought with their scoring flurry in top of the final inning. After singles from Alex Haitsuka and Biagini and a flyout to center, Ballard lifted a three-run shot to left center giving VMI the 4-3 advantage. Sandridge followed with a drive down the left field line that just cleared the fence providing the Keydets with an insurance run for the final margin.

In the second game, Keydet starter Chris Henderson (3-2) scattered five hits over seven shutout innings of work on the mound to earn the win. Henderson issued just one walk while striking out a career best 10. Farley threw a pair of scoreless relief innings to grab his second save of the year.

HPU starter Jamie Serber (1-2) also delivered a solid pitching performance in the nightcap. Serber suffered the loss despite allowing just two runs in 6.2 innings of work.

At the plate, Schwartz tallied two of the Panthers six hits in the game to lead HPU while a trio of Keydet batters tallied two hits each.

VMI scored first in the series finale pushing across a run in the third inning.Justin Hess laced a one-out double down the right field line and then scored on an RBI single for AJ Yoder.

The Keydets took a 2-0 lead with a run in the fifth. VMI got three consecutive hits capped by an RBI single from Biagini.

High Point mounted a scoring threat in the seventh as pinch-hitter Matt Gantner and shortstop Alfie Wheeler tallied back-to-back two out hits to get in scoring position. Robby Kuzdale followed with a shot to left field but it was hauled in at the warning track for the final out of the inning.

In the eighth, VMI added an insurance run for a 3-0 advantage. Ballard was hit by a pitch from reliever RJ Chlebnikow and then was sacrificed to second. Sandridge drove him home with a single to right off reliever Jeremy Berg. O'Donnell finished the game on the mound for the Panthers working 1.2 innings of perfect relief including a pair of strikeouts.

The Panthers nearly got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the eighth inning when Schwartz lifted a ball that nearly cleared the fence in left but was pulled down by a leaping Thane Smith at the wall.

HPU hits the road for a midweek tilt at in-state foe Appalachian State on Tuesday (3 p.m.) before returning home on Thursday to face Triad-rival North Carolina A&T at 7 p.m. in the opening game of a four-game homestand.

game two boxscore available by clicking on gamenotes link above