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Steve Antolik went 3-3 with two home runs to left field but the High Point University baseball team fell at Western Carolina Wednesday 17-11. HPU scored three runs in the top of the eighth to pull within two runs of the Catamounts but WCU answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to win the game 17-11.

“Things just aren't coming easy for us right now,” said head coach Craig Cozart. “But in the ebb and flow of a 56-game season you will get some of that. There is no quit in this team so we will keep playing once we start clicking on all cylinders again the wins will come.”

Freshman Zach Haile got his first loss of the season (2-1) and Taylor Sandefur improved to 1-0 for the Catamounts.

Antolik gave HPU a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a two-out home run. Antolik launched the 2-1 pitch from Taylor Sandefur over the wall in left centerfield for his first home run of the season.

Western Carolina took the lead in the bottom half of the inning. The leadoff hitter Dylan De Graaf reached on an error by Murray White IV and came around to score on an RBI single by Matt Johns. The Catamounts took the lead with a three-run homer by Trevor Collias. WCU led 4-1 at the end of the second inning.

The Catamounts led off the third inning with a solo home run by Ross Heffley and Ollie Goulder singled before Haile was removed from the game. Freshman Jaime Schultz entered the game with a runner at first and no outs. Schultz got the first batter he faced to ground out and after Johns reached on error Tyler White came to the plate. Schultz induced a double play ball to get out of the inning with HPU down 5-1.

Haile lasted two innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits and an error.
HPU closed the gap to 5-3 in the fourth inning. Matt Gantner hit a one-out, solo home run to right center. Max Fulginiti followed the homer with a double down the left field line and came around to score on Antolik's base hit.

Collias led off the bottom of the fourth with his second homer of the game, this time to right field off Schultz. Western Carolina led 6-3 at the end of the fourth inning.

Pablo Rosario led off the fifth inning and reached first after being hit by a pitch. He advanced to third when White doubled down the right field line and came around to score on a groundout by Kyle Mahoney. The Panthers couldn't bring White around to score, stranding him at second base, still down 6-4.

After walking the leadoff batter on four straight pitches, Schultz got De Graaf to ground out to second baseman Sal Pezzino but Pezzino's throw to second was off the mark and both Catamounts were safe. The error hurt HPU as the next batter, Johns, doubled to score both runners and keep the inning going with no outs. With one out Schultz gave up a double to Tyler Kirkpatrick, giving Western Carolina a 9-4 lead and ending his day on the mound. Sophomore Kyle Starnes made his ninth appearance of the season in relief of Schultz. WCU added three more runs in, two credited to Starnes to take a 12-4 lead at the end of five innings.

Antolik hit his second home run of the game in the sixth inning, again over the left field wall off WCU's new pitcher Andrew Blackwell. Pezzino singled to the shortstop and Mike Mercurio earned a walk to put runners on first and second for Rosario. Rosario hit his second home run of the season to right center to bring HPU within four runs at 12-8.

HPU loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the eighth inning. Antolik walked and Pezzino and Bartlett singled to force a Western Carolina pitching change. Mat Batts took the mound to face pinch hitter Drew Geissinger. Geissinger picked up an RBI with a bloop single to right field, just out of reach of the second baseman. With the bases still loaded the Catamounts again went to the bullpen, bringing out Brandon Johnson. After White struck out swinging, Roberts earned a walk to bring in another run and keep the bases loaded. Mahoney made the second out of the inning with a fly out to centerfield, but he picked up an RBI, scoring Mercurio. Johnson picked up his second strikeout of the inning, getting Matt Gantner swinging but not before HPU made it a 13-11 game.

Al Yevoli took the mound in the eighth inning, loading the bases with one out before he was replaced by Corey Swickle. Swickle gave up a double down the leftfield line to the first batter he faced, extending WCU's lead to 15-11. Swickle gave up two more runs in the inning before Mikel Rodenberg came in to get the third out of the inning with HPU down 17-11.

The Panthers (16-10, 3-3 Big South) continue the 12-game road trip with a weekend series at Liberty. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. and there will be a double header on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.