High Point scored 10 runs in the first four innings to seize control of the contest and defeated #14 Coastal Carolina 12-8 Saturday night at Williard Stadium.  The win snapped CCU's 11-game winning streak and a six game losing streak for the Panthers against the Chanticleers.

Rico Noel led off the game for Coastal Carolina (30-8, 10-3) with a double down the leftfield line and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt.  Tyler Bortnick singled in Noel for the game's first run.  David Anderson hit a homerun to centerfield on the first pitch he saw giving the visitors a 3-0 lead.

High Point (15-19, 8-9) responded right back in the bottom half of the inning.  Jeff Cowan drew a walk, followed by a single from Alfie Wheeler up the middle.  Cowan tested the centerfielder's arm reaching third safely and scored when the ball got by the third baseman and into the HPU dugout for a deadball, allowing him to score and Wheeler to move up to third.  Bill Manion grounded out to the shortstop, but got the RBI as Wheeler scored on the play.  After another groundout, Kyle Mahoney laced a single to centerfield followed by another single by Max Fulginiti putting runners on the corners.  Fulginiti was caught stealing when CCU starter Austin Fleet used a third-to-first move ending the inning.

HPU took their first lead an inning later posting two more runs.  Spencer Andrews reached on a fielding error, but was erased at second base on a sacrifice bunt attempt, in which Eric Marion reached base.  Pablo Rosario was hit by a pitch on a 1-2 count putting runners on first and second.  The two runners moved up on a double-steal.  Cowan singled through the leftside plating Marion and putting runners on the corners.  Wheeler doubled to right-centerfield scoring Rosario, giving the Panthers a 4-3 lead.  Caleb Cuevas come on in relief for Coastal Carolina to record the final two outs to end anymore damage.

Anderson hit his second homerun of the game in the third inning to give the Chanticleers the lead again.  On the first pitch he saw again, he hit this pitch just the left of the batters eye in centerfield.

Mahoney smacked a double down the leftfield line and a double down the rightfield line plated him cutting into the deficit.  Andrews singled to rightfield putting runners on first and second.  The two moved up into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Marion.  Rosario reached on a throwing error that went into the Coastal Carolina dugout, scoring both Fulginiti and Andrews, giving HPU a 7-6 lead after three.

In the fourth, Manion worked back from a 0-2 count to double off the right centerfield wall.  A great diving play by the third baseman robbed Billy Alvino of a hit for the first out.  Mahoney singled to the shortstop moving Manion to third.  Fulginiti picked up his second single of the contest scoring Manion.  Another double-steal put the two runners in scoring position.  Marion hit a two-out two-run single giving the Panthers a 10-6 lead.

Jamie Serber got in a jam in the fifth inning after loading the bases.  The right-hander worked out of the mess allowing just one run on a sacrifice fly from Chance Gilmore. Coastal Carolina scored another run the next inning cutting the deficit to 10-8.  Noel reached on a bunt single and moved up to second on a throwing error.  He scored the unearned run on a single by Adam Rice.

With one out, Fulginiti was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a single by Andres up the middle.  Both moved up on wild pitch.  Fulginiti stole home on a squeeze attempt that was missed, but the catcher was unable to handle the pitch.  Rosario fisted a ball down the leftfield line for a double plating Andrews and closing out the scoring for the contest giving the Panthers a 12-8.

Corey Swickle came on relief in the seventh and worked three scoreless innings, picking up his first collegiate save.

The HPU offense was paced by Fulginiti picking up four hits while Mahoney picked up three hits.  Wheeler, Manion and Andrews all had a pair of hits.  Serber upped his record to 4-2 working six innings.  Fulginiti extend his hitting streak to 24 games, which is the longest current streak in the Big South.  Cowan's hitting streak is upped to 11-games and is now 8 hits away from breaking the school's all-time hit record. 

David Anderson was 3-for-3 with two homeruns, five RBI and a walk.  Three other Chanticleers had two hits on the evening.  Caleb Cuevas suffered the loss falling to 1-2 on the season.

As part of "Bark in the Park Night", High Point raised $453 for the SPCA of the Triad.

The two sides will play the series finale tomorrow afternoon, April 19th at Williard Stadium.   It will also be "Throw Back" day with the baseball team will be donning their "Old School" jerseys.  All fans and alumni are encouraged to wear their retro High Point paraphernalia.  First pitch is set for a 1:00 p.m.