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The High Point University baseball team picked up the series win over Presbyterian College Saturday with a 17-3 win. Freshman Jaime Schultz pitched six innings with a career-high eight strikeouts to improve to 5-0 on the season.

HPU moves to 26-25 (12-11 Big South Conference) with the win while PC falls to 12-37, 4-19 BSC).

“This was a great, great offensive performance,” said head coach Craig Cozart. “We hit in every situation and executed just about perfectly. We got six quality innings from Schultz and the bullpen did a good job. We put ourselves in a great position to go for the sweep tomorrow. This is a tremendous win and we need to build off this as we finish out the season.”

The Panthers put up 17 runs on 13 hits with eight walks while HPU pitchers allowed just three runs on six hits with 11 strikeouts.

After giving up a run in the first inning the Panthers gave Schultz a 5-1 lead in the top of the second. Murray White IV earned a walk on four straight balls to load the bases. Drew Geissinger took the first pitch from Joe Hammond down the left field line for a bases clearing double. Pablo Rosario's fly ball to right field moved Geissinger to third base and he scored on Mike Mercurio's single to center. Presbyterian College went to the bullpen, bringing out lefty Chase Gould who caught Mercurio trying to steal second for the third out.

Schultz walked three batters in the second inning to load the bases with two outs but Gabe Grammer popped up the first pitch he saw the end the inning, stranding all three runners.

Roberts led off the third inning with a walk, scoring on Matt Gantner's 23rd double of the season. Steve Antolik reached on a fielder's choice and a double steal moved both Gantner and Antolik in to scoring position. Kyle Mahoney brought both runners in with a single up the middle to give HPU an 8-1 lead.

After allowing a solo home run to Nate Horton in the third inning, Schultz set the Blue Hose down in order in the fourth, striking out the first two batters and getting Jeff Tatum to ground out to shortstop.

With an 11-2 lead in the sixth inning, Schultz walked the first three batters to load the bases with no outs. Jesse Harmon flew out to right field to bring in one run but Schultz got out of the inning with strikeouts of Aaron Preston and pinch-hitter Ryan Morris to end the inning. The strikeout of Morris gave Schultz eight for the game, a new career high. He has recorded seven strikeouts in three games already this season.
Schultz allowed three runs, two earned in six innings with eight strikeouts and six walks.

Nick Schumacher took the mound in the seventh inning recording one out before a basehit and a walk put runners on first and second. Kyle Wigmore came out of the bullpen, striking out Tony Micklon and Carl Della Torre to end the inning.

High Point added three more runs in eighth inning to extend the lead to 14-3. Mercurio walked to lead off the inning and Roberts and Antolik both singled. All three came around to score.

Roberts earned three walks in the game, scoring four runs to bring his season total to 77. Gantner went 4-4 with three runs scored and four RBI and Geissinger picked up three RBI on two doubles.

"We came out and had a rough top of the first," Geissinger said."But we were able to get the momentum back and come up with some big hits. I was just looking for something to hit hard and ended up with two doubles. Schultz did a great job and it was a good team win."

HPU will go for the sweep of Presbyterian College Sunday at 1 p.m. Freshman Jared Avidon will get the start for High Point.