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Gardner-Webb pitching limited the High Point University baseball team to four hits as the Panthers dropped an 8-2 contest to the Runnin' Bulldogs Friday at Williard Stadium. Senior Jamie Serber pitched seven innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on ten hits in his final home start.

“The story of the night was Brett Stackhouse,” said head coach Craig Cozart. “He held us in check the entire game. Not to make excuses but this is what you get after a long break. Our timing was clearly off at the plate. We have to win the series now to secure where we want to be in the standings.”

Brett Stackhouse pitched 7-1/3 innings for the Bulldogs, limiting HPU two runs on two hits with four strikeouts. He improved to 2-3 with the win while Serber fell to 4-2 this season.

The Panthers manufactured a run in the first inning with Mike Mercurio reaching after getting hit by a pitch, advancing to second when Nate Roberts walked and a took third on a wild pitch. Matt Gantner picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Mercurio.

Gardner-Webb tied it up in the fourth, also on a sacrifice fly to left field. Kurt Fulginiti led off the inning with a double and moved to third on Jake Watts' single to left center. Gantner made a diving catch in shallow left field to rob Josh Drewery of a hit but Kurt Fulginiti tagged up from third and scored on the play to tie the game 1-1.

The Runnin' Bulldogs pushed another run across in the fifth inning to take a 2-1 lead. Benji Jackson led off with a single to first base, just beating Serber to the bag. Aaron Miller sacrificed Jackson to second base and a wild pitch from Serber sent him to third. Jackson scored on a ground out to second base by Adam McFarland.

Stackhouse kept High Point hitless through five innings before Steve Antolik bunted to second base for the first Panther hit of the night in the sixth inning. The bunt moved Max Fulginiti to second base after he had reached on an error by the second baseman, Drewery. Murray White IV moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt but Drewery made up for his error, robbing Drew Geissinger of a hit with a diving catch for the second out of the inning. A walk to Robbie Gilles loaded the bases for Mercurio who grounded out to end the inning with the bases loaded.

Kurt Fulginiti led off the eighth inning with a single to the shortstop and came around to score on Watts' third homer of the season to make it a 4-1 Gardner-Webb lead. It is the first home run allowed by Serber this season. O.J. McFarland reached on an error before Serber was relieved by sophomore Kyle Starnes who hit Drewery. With runners on first and second Cozart went to the bullpen again, bringing freshman Kyle Wigmore in to the game. Another HPU error loaded the bases with no outs but Wigmore got a double play ball from John Harris but another run came in for GWU. Wigmore struck out Jackson to end the inning.

“I felt like I pitched well enough to win tonight,” Serber said. “This obviously isn't what I wanted in my last home start but I gave it my all and I have no regrets about tonight. My hat is off to Stackhouse, he flat out beat us.”

HPU picked up a run in the bottom of the eighth with Gilles picking up an RBI single to score Sal Pezzino. High Point again loaded the bases but for the second time in the game left all three runners on as Roberts flew out left center to end the inning.

High Point left 15 runners on base in the game, putting at least one runner on every inning.

HPU (22-24, 8-1 Big South Conference) and Gardner-Webb (22-23, 8-11 BSC) will face off Saturday at 6 p.m. in game two of the series.