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The High Point University baseball team completed the sweep of the double header and the weekend series over UNC Asheville with a 17-10 win Saturday night at a rainy Williard Stadium. Senior Matt Gantner set the HPU record for doubles in a season, hitting his 22nd double of the year in fifth inning.

“It is an honor to break the record,” Gantner said. “Hopefully I can continue to play well and the team can continue to play well and I can expand on it. Max Fulginiti doesn't have a shot at catching me.”

Fulginiti hit his 21st of the season, also in the fifth inning, to tie the previous record set by Gerald Culler in 1979.

Every HPU starter got a hit and scored a run in the game. Junior Mike Caldwell picked up his first win of the season, pitching three innings of relief. The win also put HPU above .500 again with a 22-21 record and an 8-10 record in Big South games.

“This was a very important weekend for us,” said head coach Craig Cozart. “We got ourselves over .500 and put ourselves in position to finish well in conference. We got quality contributions from the entire team and everyone got a little bit of their swagger back. Hopefully, this will launch us in to the midweek games before we get some much-needed time off next weekend.”

HPU put up seven runs in the fifth inning to take a 10-6 lead in the game. Nate Roberts had already driven in a run with a single up the middle when Gantner came to the plate. Gantner took the 2-0 pitch from UNC Asheville starter David Ricker in to the gap in left center for his 22nd double of the season. Gantner set the HPU record for doubles in a season with his 22nd, breaking Gerald Foster's record of 21 set in 1979. Gantner's hit brought Grier Harrington out of the bullpen for the Bulldogs but Harrington couldn't stop the Panther offense as HPU scored seven more runs in the inning. Fulginiti hit his 21st double of the season to score Gantner and Drew Geissinger singled through the left side, to score Fulginiti.

HPU starter Jared Avidon was knocked out of the game after three innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk. He faced five batters in the fourth inning without getting an out before he was relieved by junior Corey Swickle. Swickle got two quick outs in the inning but couldn't get the third, surrendering a walk and two singles to put UNC Asheville ahead 6-1. Caldwell came out and got Robert McIntosh to ground out to end the inning.

Caldwell lasted three innings, allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts. All three runs he gave up came in the seventh inning. He got two outs in the inning before he left the game with two runners on. Spencer Andrews inherited the runners, stranding them with a ground ball to short stop for the final out of the inning.

Caldwell went to 1-4 on the season with the win and Harrington took the loss for UNC Asheville to fall to 0-3. The Bulldogs are now 11-25 (5-13 BSC) this season.

Roberts went 3-5 with two runs scored to bring his season total to 65 runs scored, tying the HPU record for runs in a season. He is currently tied with Otis Foster who scored 65 in 1975. Geissinger went 3-5 with two runs scored and two RBI.

HPU will travel to Chapel Hill to face UNC Tuesday at 6 p.m.