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The High Point University baseball team fell to Presbyterian College 4-1 Friday in the Big South Conference series opener. The Panthers put up a run in the first inning but the Blue Hose scored four unanswered runs to win the game.

High Point outhit Presbyterian 8-6 but stranded 11 men on base. Junior Cody Allen went seven innings allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits in the loss. The right hander had seven strikeouts in the game and falls to 2-2 on the season. Blue Hose starting pitcher Buck Mosteller pitched a complete game, allowing one run on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts to improve to 3-0.

“I have to give credit to Mosteller for a very gutsy performance,” said head coach Craig Cozart. “They were just better than us offensively today. We had opportunities to blow the game open and couldn't get it done. Now we move on to tomorrow and try and win the series.”

High Point pushed across a run in the first inning. Mike Mercurio had an infield single to lead off the game, stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Sal Pezzino and scored on a wild pitch.

Presbyterian tied the score at 1-1 on Tony Micklon's solo home run in the top of the second.

Mike Gragilla just missed his first career home run in the fourth inning. With two runners on he took Mosteller's 2-1 pitch to the wall but Gabe Grammar was there for the catch and the second out.

High Point had another chance in the fifth inning loading the bases with one out but Kyle Mahoney grounded in to a 4-6-3 double play and Mosteller got out of the jam.

The Blue Hose scored an unearned run in the fourth, capitalizing on an error by Murray White IV but cracked the game open in the sixth. Freshman Brad Zebedis hit his sixth home run of the season, a two-run homer to give Presbyterian the 4-1 lead.

Spencer Andrews pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game for HPU. White went 2-4 in the game and Mercurio was 1-4 with a run scored.

The Panthers fall to 12-7 (0-1 Big South) while the Blue Hose improve to 12-6 (1-0 Big South). The teams will play Saturday at 2 p.m. with sophomore Jared Avidon pitching for the Panthers. Freshman Bud Jeter will take the mound for the Blue Hose.