The High Point University baseball team split a Big South Conference doubleheader at Charleston Southern on Saturday with the Panthers taking the opener 2-0 before dropping the nightcap 6-5.

With the split, HPU moved to 9-20 overall and 4-4 in Big South play while CSU slides to 12-16 and 2-3. The opening game shutout marked the first time this season that the Panthers had held an opponent scoreless.

Both pitching staffs kept the offenses at bay, with neither squad getting on the board until the Panthers broke the deadlock in the top of the eighth inning. Murray White IV reached on a Buccaneer error and then scored on a RBI double by Billy Alvino giving High Point the 1-0 lead. Three straight singles by Drew Geissinger, Alfie Wheeler and Max Fulginiti in the top of the ninth allowed HPU to add another run for their final advantage.

Bubba O'Donnell (2-1) came on in relief for High Point to get the win, holding CSU hitless over the final 2.2 innings. Ryan Basham scattered seven hits over 6.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts as the HPU starter. Geissinger went 2-for-3 at the plate to pace the Panthers.

JAndrew White (3-3) was given the loss in the first game for the Bucs, allowing one unearned run on two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Tom Burkett had two hits to lead CSU in the loss.

The scoring started much earlier in the second game as High Point put a run on the board in the top of the first inning. Jeff Cowan led off the game with a single up the middle, advancing to third on a single by Pablo Rosario. Alvino follow with a third consecutive single to score Cowan and give the Panthers an early 1-0 lead.

After being held scoreless in the first game, the CSU bats got going early in game two, getting three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first. Mark Perry got it started with a single to right field and moved to second on Kory Morian's ground out. Steve Antolik then tied the game with a single up the middle that brought Perry around to score. Smith followed with a two-run drive over the wall in right center putting the Bucs in front 3-1.

High Point pulled even in the top of the fifth inning, getting an RBI single from Fulginiti that brought Randy Schwartz and Geissinger around to score and make it 3-3.

CSU answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to restore its two-run lead. Burkett legged out an infield single, in front of a Tyler Thornburg two-run homerun making the score 5-3 in favor of the Bucs.

In the fifth inning, Charleston Southern added what proved to be a necessary insurance run for a 6-3 lead. Perry led off with an infield single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Morian. That put Perry in position to come around for the score when Antolik drove a single into center field, putting the Bucs in front by three runs.

The Panthers refused to quit, however, scoring a pair in the top of the seventh to pull within one, 6-5. Wheeler led off the inning with a single up the middle and advanced to third on a single by Rosario. After a ground out allowed Rosario to move to second, Matt Gantner delivered a two-out single up the middle bringing both Wheeler and Rosario around to score.

Relieving Anthony Markham (4-4), who got the start and the win for CSU on the mound with five innings of work, Brandon Roberts kept the Panthers from completing the comeback. He pitched three innings of middle relief, striking out five and setting the stage for closer Payton Tweddale.

As the first few rain drops began to fall, Tweddale entered to pitch in the top of the ninth with the Bucs leading, 6-5. After a fly out, Tweddale got a swinging strikeout, but it turned into a wild pitch that allowing Chris Norwood to reach first. Alvino then singled advancing Norwood over to third and putting runners on the corners for HPU. Tweddle escaped anymore damage and earned the save by inducing a game-ending double play to clinch the victory for CSU.

Sean Murphy (1-1) surrendered six runs on eight hits over seven innings in taking the loss. Five different Panthers recorded multiple hits in the second contest led by Rosario's 3-for-4 performance.

High Point and Charleston Southern conclude their series at 1 p.m. on Sunday with a final game at Buccaneer Field.

Game one boxscore available above at "boxscore"
Game two boxscore available above at "game notes"