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Junior Brian Jones pitched five innings, allowing just one run on five hits, and left the game with the lead but North Carolina A&T put up eight runs in the eighth inning to take a 13-8 win over the High Point University baseball team.

“We are just trying to find new ways to lose games,” said assistant coach Bryan Peters. “We had a defensive collapse and our hitters didn't do enough to win the game. They threw average arms that frustrated our lineup for no reason. Our offense and defense didn't help the pitchers and A&T stole seven bases. It is all losing baseball.”

Junior Mike Caldwell was tagged with the loss, giving up five runs in an inning of work but only two of the runs were earned. Of the 10 runs North Carolina A&T plated in the final two innings only four were earned.

Jones pitched four scoreless innings in his first start since April 3 at Liberty where he didn't make it out of the first inning. In the fifth inning he gave up one run on a double and back-to-back singles but got himself out of the inning with a stellar defensive play. Nick Rogers hit a bouncer back to Jones who stopped the ball with his foot, picked it up and got the out of first base.

Jones had a 5-1 lead when he left the game after five innings. Max Fulginiti singled and scored in the second inning on a groundout by Murray White IV. The Panthers added another run in the third on a solo home run by Nate Roberts, his 14th of the season. Roberts home run went off the batters eye in center field and is his third home run in the last four games.

Fulginiti reached on an error in the fourth inning and came around to score on a double by White to give HPU a 3-0 lead. Roberts was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning and Matt Gantner earned a walk and both came around to score, extending HPU's lead to 5-1 when Jones left the game at the end of the fifth inning. Jones had two walks and three strikeouts in the game.

“I went out there with a lot of confidence,” Jones said. “I was confident in myself and my teammates and I was hungry for a win. I was ready to get out on the mound again and I am happy I was able to throw well and keep my team in the game. I am obviously disappointed we couldn't sustain the win.”

The Panthers took a 7-3 lead in to the eighth inning with Caldwell on the mound. The first batter of the inning, Lester Rivenbark reaches on a throwing error by Mike Mercurio. After a walk put two runners on base Carvell Copeland popped up to Kyle Mahoney. A double and a pair of singles brought home three A&T runs and a pitching change. Drew Dades came in to the game and struck out the first batter he faced, which should have been the third out in the inning. Mercurio's error hurt HPU as the Aggies added five more runs on two homers.

With the loss Caldwell goes to 1-5 this season while NC A&T starter Nick Oelker starter improves to 2-4 with the win.

Freshman Andrew Bartlett went 3-5 with two runs scored as the designated hitter and Fulginiti finished the night 4-5 with one RBI and three runs scored.

High Point (18-21, 5-10 Big South Conference) will face the Phoenix of Elon University Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Latham Park in Elon, N.C.