Box Score Box Score

The High Point University baseball team ended its season with a 9-5 loss to Liberty Saturday in the Big South Conference Tournament. The Flames will go on to play No. 1 Coastal Carolina in the championship game. The 2010 season was the first winning season for HPU in its Div. I era as the Panthers posted a 31-29 record and set a program record with 15 conference wins.

"I have never been more proud of a team than I am of these guys," said head coach Craig Cozart. "They have forever changed the face of High Point University baseball with the first .500 season is two decades, the most wins by a Division I team and by going deeper in to the tournament than any other team. The character and determination is incredible. These seniors have left the program in better hands than they found it and we have a bright future ahead of us."

Senior Matt Gantner set the single-season hit record with his 88th hit of the season, a single in the fifth inning. The previous record was 87 set by Mark Shorey in 2006. He also ended his career with a 14-game hit streak.

Jamie Serber pitched 3-1/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits for the loss in his final appearance as a Panther. The senior finished the season 6-3.

Mike Mercurio continued his hot hitting in the tournament with a one-out single in the third inning. He stole second and third before scoring on a groundout by Gantner to put the Panther ahead 1-0.

Liberty answered with two runs in the bottom of the third with Trey Wimmer walking and scoring and Curran Redal reaching on a single through the right side and scoring on a single to right field off the bat of Tyler Bream. It was Bream's 95th hit of the season, a new single season record for the Flames.

Max Fulginiti led off the fourth inning with a single to centerfield and was sacrificed to second by Kyle Mahoney. Murray White IV was hit by a pitch and Drew Geissinger singled to load the bases with one out for the top of the order. Pablo Rosario grounded in to a double play on the second pitch from Tim Dudley to end the inning without the Panthers scoring.

Serber's day ended in the fourth inning after he loaded the bases by hitting Trey Wimmer with a pitch. P.J. Jimenez had already scored when Casey Brown reached on an error by Mercurio. Drew Dades came out of the bullpen with the bases loaded and hit Curran Redal to bring in a run and extend Liberty's lead to 4-1. Dades induced a double play off the bat of Matt Williams to end the inning.

With one out in the fifth Nate Roberts reached base after getting hit by a pitch and moved to third on Gantner's single up the middle. It was Gantner's 88th hit of the season, a new single season record for High Point. The previous record was 87 set by Mark Shorey in 2006. Roberts scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Steve Antolik cutting Liberty's lead to 4-2.

Kenneth Negron doubled in two runs off Dades in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 6-2 Liberty lead.
Geissinger hit a dribbler to second base in the sixth inning, reaching on an error by Liberty's second baseman. Geissinger scored on Mercurio's single to center to make the score 6-3 in favor of Liberty.

Mikel Rodenberg loaded the bases with only one out in the bottom of the seventh, hitting two batters and walking a third before he was replaced by Kyle Wigmore. Casey Brown cleared the bases with a triple, extending Liberty's lead to 9-3 before getting out of the inning with a fly ball to right field. Brown was thrown out by Max Fulginiti trying to score on the play.

Mercurio singled in a run in the eighth inning, slapping a ball through the left side to score Murray White IV who had singled to lead off the inning. Mercurio finished the day 3-4 with two RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases.

Tim Dudley earned his first win of the season for Liberty, pitching six innings, allowing three runs on six hits.