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Steve Antolik went 4-5 with six RBI and Nate Roberts hit a grand slam over the left field wall in the third inning to lead the High Point University baseball team to a 15-9 win over Winthrop Saturday in the first game of the double header.

“What makes this a quality win was that after Winthrop battled back from being down six runs we showed our toughness with a four-run fifth inning,” said head coach Craig Cozart. “Corey Swickle closed the door on the mound when we needed him to and now we have to take advantage of the opportunity to get the sweep.”

Swickle improved to 4-0 with 4-1/3 innings of relief of starter Jared Avidon and Matteo D'Angelo fell to 2-3 on the season.

Roberts came up with the bases loaded and one out in the third inning and took the 1-2 pitch from D'Angelo over the left center field wall for his eighth home run of the season and first grand slam. Andrew Bartlett led the inning off with a walk and advanced to third on a hit and run with Mike Mercurio at the plate. Mercurio's ground ball was just out of the reach of the diving second baseman, putting runners on the corners. Pablo Rosario loaded the bases after getting hit by a pitch allowing Roberts to come up with one out and the bases loaded. Two batters later Matt Gantner hit a solo homer to right field, his third of the season to put the Panthers ahead 5-0 halfway through the third.

Winthrop got two runs back in the bottom of the third on a two-run homer from Eddie Rohan. Rohan's shot over the left centerfield wall scored Tyler Cook who had earned a one-out walk.

Antolik extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single to lead off the fourth inning. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Bartlett and scored on Mercurio's single to right field.

The Panthers led 6-2 with the Eagles coming up in the bottom of the fourth. HPU starter Jared Avidon was tagged for four runs in the inning before he was relieved by Corey Swickle. Avidon gave up back-to-back solo home runs to Chas Crane and Sean Sullivan to lead off the inning making it a 6-4 game. Avidon gave up back-to-back singles, scoring another run and a sacrifice bunt before he was taken out of the game. The runner that Swickle inherited came around to score, tying the game at 6-6. Kyle Mahoney threw Tyler McBride out trying to steal second to end the inning.

Avidon allowed six runs on six hits and two walks in 3-1/3 inning.

The High Point bats immediately took back the lead back in the top of the fifth with a four-run inning. Gantner had a two-RBI single and Antolik and Bartlett each picked up an RBI with a base hit. Bartlett reached with a single up the middle, extending his hitting streak to 12 games and giving HPU a 10-6 lead.

Swickle gave up a solo home run to Rohan to lead off the Eagle half of the inning but got out of the inning without further damage keeping the Panthers ahead 10-7.

Antolik singled in two runs in the sixth inning and doubled in three runs in the eighth inning to make it a 15-7 game.

“I was thinking right side today and I got pitches middle of the plate and away and was able to drive the ball to the other side,” Antolik said. “People got on base and I was able to bring them home.”

Swickle put up perfect sixth and seventh innings before giving up two runs in the eighth. He went 4-1/3 innings giving up three runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Jaime Schultz came in with two outs in the eighth and runners on second and third. Schultz stranded the inherited runners, getting Cook to fly out to right field.

Zach Haile came out and pitched a perfect ninth inning to secure the 15-7 win.

The Panthers improve to 16-7 (3-2 Big South) and will battle the 12-10 (0-2 BSC) Winthrop in the final game of the series beginning at 6 p.m.