High Point earned its fifth straight home win on Tuesday night after holding off a late charge by Elon for a 5-3 win at Williard Stadium.

The Panthers improved to 14-22 on the year after earning a split of their season series against longtime rival Elon (28-10). The game marked the first home game for HPU after playing their last nine contests on the road.

Reshirt freshman Mikel Rodenberg (1-3), a native of High Point, earned his first collegiate win after allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits over five innings. A quartet of Panther relievers held the Phoenix offense scoreless over the final four innings.

Ken Ferrer (3-2) suffered the loss for Elon after surrendering five runs on five hits in just four innings of work.

Both teams finished the night with nine hits. Matt Gantner, Alfie Wheeler and Max Fulginiti each recorded two hits to lead the High Point offense. Elon got a pair of hits from Cory Harrilchak and Chase Austin.

Elon struck first taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Harrilchak opened the frame with single to left and moved around to third on a pair of wild pitches. Neal Pritchard drove him home with a sacrifice fly to center.

The Panthers scored four runs in the third inning to grab a 4-1 advantage. Wheeler and Fulginiti cracked back-to-back singles to get things started. A balk by Elon starter Ken Ferrer moved both runners into scoring position. Kyle Mahoney walked to load the bases and Jeff Cowan worked an RBI walk. Ferrer then uncorked a wild pitch allowing another run to score. Chris Norwood singled home a run and Gantner closed the scoring with a sacrifice fly.

The Phoenix trimmed the HPU lead in the fourth as Bennett Davis drove his 11th homerun of the season over the leftfield wall making the score 4-2.

HPU got the run back in the bottom half of the frame to regain the three-run lead 5-2. Tucker Stobbe drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a single from Fulginiti. With two outs, Cowan lashed a single to center allowing Stobbe to cross the plate.

Elon made the score 5-3 after picking up a run in the fifth. Mike Lobacz got a one-out single and was replaced by pinch runner Donny Jobe. An error on a pickoff attempt sent Jobe to third and then Rodenberg committed a balk allowing him to score.

High Point looked to add some insurance runs in the seventh inning after loading the bases with one out. Unfortunately, Wheeler's liner up the middle caromed off the Elon pitcher's glove and was fielded cleanly by the second baseman who threw out Gantner at home. A flyout by the Fulginiti ended the scoring threat.

Elon made things interesting by loading the bases in the ninth against Bubba O'Donnell, but the Panther closer induced an inning ending double play to secure his sixth save of the year.

High Point returns to Big South Conference play this weekend with a three-game series against Radford at Williard Stadium beginning on Friday at 7 p.m.