The High Point University baseball team surrendered five home runs in a tough 17-8 loss at 17th-ranked Coastal Carolina on Saturday night at Watson Stadium/Vrooman Field.

The Panthers fell to 18-29 overall and 8-9 in Big South action after dropping the second game of the series with the nationally-ranked Chanticleers (40-11, 14-3). David Anderson led the way for CCU tallying three of their five homers on the day.

High Point got on the board in the first inning when Billy Alvino singled home Jeff Cowan for the early 1-0 lead.  Coastal came back with a pair in the bottom of the inning. David Sappelt doubled with one out and Dock Doyle then reached on a High Point error. Anderson brought in Sappelt with a single to left. Tyler Bortnick scored Doyle with a sacrifice fly to right.

Coastal added four more runs in the third.  Doyle singled to open the frame, and went to third on a single from Tommy Baldridge. Coastal then got some two-out luck, as Baldridge scored on a passed ball and Derek Martin singled home Bortnick.  Rico Noel singled in Chance Gilmore, and Scott Woodward drove in the final run of the frame with a double to left.

In the fourth, Doyle led off the inning with a triple to deep centerfield.  Anderson then tallied his first longball of the day. Two batters later, Bortnick lifted a home run to left.

High Point rallied with two in the fifth as Max Fulginiti doubled, moved to third on a single from Alfie Wheeler and scored on a wild pitch.  A Cowan groundout brought in Wheeler to make it 9-3 Coastal.

The Chanticleers added four runs apiece in each of the next two innings to break the game open. Anderson tallied a homer in each of the two frames.

High Point made a late charge putting up a five-spot in the eighth inning. Tucker Stobbe was hit by a pitch to open the frame.  CCU reliever Jeff Richard would retire the next two batters, but then ran into trouble.  Kyle Mahoney scored Stobbe with an RBI single.  Richard walked Drew Geissinger, Fulginiti and Wheeler, with Mahoney scoring on a wild pitch. Cowan then singled home Fulginiti for the third run of the inning.  Dan Lombardozzi came in and gave up a single to Murray White. Stobbe would force in Wheeler with a walk to end the scoring.

Freshman Cody Wheeler picked up his fifth win of the season, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing six hits, three runs and two walks while striking out four.  Zach Scott took the loss for HPU after allowing five earned runs in three innings of relief work.

Cowan went 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Panthers a the plate, while Anderson posted a career high seven runs-batted-in to go along with his four hits and three runs scored.

The two teams wrap up the three-game series, weather permitting, Sunday, May 11 at 1 p.m.