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Nate Roberts went 5-5 with three home runs to lead the High Point University baseball team to a 13-0 win over Towson University Friday at Williard Stadium. Senior Jamie Serber pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up just three hits for his first win of the season. It is the first shutout for HPU since April 5, 2008.

“It is nice to get the shutout for the first time since our coaching staff has been here,” said head coach Craig Cozart. “It was a tremendous start by Jamie Serber and offensively we really maintained our focus. It is exactly how we want to start the series against a really good Towson team and what a day for Nate Roberts. Three home runs to different parts of the field is really indicative of what he is capable of doing.”

Roberts hit three home runs on just five pitches and added two singles to finish the day 5-5 with six RBI. He is the first Panther since Josh Cotton to hit three home runs in one game. Cotton did it on March 15, 2005 at East Carolina.

In the first inning Roberts took the 1-0 pitch from Nate Curd over the opposite field wall for a two-run homer, scoring Murray White IV who had singled up the middle.

With a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth Roberts took the first pitch he saw from Curd over the right field wall to make it a 4-0 game. The next HPU batter, Kyle Mahoney, tripled to right center and Mahoney scored on a single by Matt Gantner.

Roberts final home run came in the five-run seventh inning. Austin Hurd came in to relieve Curd and with White at first base, Roberts took another 1-0 pitch out of the stadium for his third homer of the game. HPU would add three more runs in the inning, two on a home run by Max Fulginiti, his first of the season to make it a 10-0 ball game.

“It took me a while to get going this season,” Roberts said. “Coach [Bryan] Peters has a good hitting philosophy it just took a while for it to take hold with me. I am thankful everything went as well as it did today.”

Serber pitched out of trouble in the first inning, with runners at first and third and no outs the senior struck out Wychock swinging for the first out. Mahoney threw out Kevin Collins trying to steal second and Serber got the final out of the inning when Steve Yarsinsky was caught looking at strike three.

After giving up two hits in the first inning Serber gave up just one more hit in seven innings of work. He posted three strikeouts and one walk for his first win of the season.

“I was able to work out the jam in the first inning and Mahoney really helped me out throwing out a couple of base runners,” Serber said. “I felt really comfortable out there, just trying to keep the hitters off balance and not letting them string hits together.”

Corey Swickle and Zach Haile each pitched a scoreless inning in relief. White extended his hitting streak to seven games with a 2-4 night with three runs scored and one RBI.

Nate Curd was tagged with the loss for Towson, falling to 0-3 on the season.

The Panthers (5-2) and Towson (1-8) will play again Saturday at 2 p.m. Junior Brian Jones will get the start for HPU and sophomore Tyler Austin will take the mound for Towson.