Box Score BOX SCORE

Cody Allen allowed one run in seven innings of work to lead the High Point University baseball team to a 6-2 win over No. 27 Coastal Carolina Friday at a rainy Williard Stadium. The Panthers put up six run on 11 hits to hand Coastal Carolina ace Anthony Meo his first Big South loss since 2009.

“This was a great win,” said head coach Craig Cozart. “Cody was dominant tonight and I loved our offensive approach. What we need now is for this to translate to good games tomorrow. The mystery of this team all season has been that we can't seem to carry momentum from game to game. If we come out tomorrow and play two games they way we did tonight I really like our chances.”

The Panthers put up one run in the first and broke the game open with four runs in the second off Meo who dropped to 5-3 on the season. It is the first conference loss for Meo since his freshman season, 2009, when he lost back-to-back starts against High Point and Presbyterian College. Meo allowed six runs, three earned, on 11 hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 5-1/3 innings.

Allen picked up the win, improving to 4-3 this season, allowing one run on five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. Coastal's lone run against Allen was a solo home run by Scott Woodward to lead off the game.

Spencer Andrews pitched two innings of relief to finish the game, allowing one run on one hit, a solo home run by Tommy La Stella in the eighth. He has two strikeouts on the night.

Steve Antolik drew a two-out walk in the first inning and Murray White IV drove him in with a single through the right side to tie the game 1-1.

In the second inning Mike Gragilla reached on an error by Taylor Motter to lead off the inning and scored on Kyle Mahoney's double to right field. Sal Pezzino drove in Mahoney with a double to right center and Pezzino came in to score on Antolik's single up the middle. White singled in Antolik for the second consecutive inning to plate High Point's fourth run of the second and give the Panthers a 5-1 lead.

The Panthers added a run in the sixth when Pezzino doubled and scored his second run of the game forcing Coastal Carolina to go to the bullpen.

After allowing Woodward's solo home run in the first Allen gave up a single to Hayes Orton who was picked off by Mahoney at first base. Allen settled in after the single, striking out La Stella and getting Daniel Bowman to pop up to end the first. Allen scattered three hits over the next six innings and finished the game with eight strikeouts, bringing his total for the year to 72.

“We absolutely needed this win,” Allen said. “Even after the home run I never got rattled. Mahoney did a great job behind the plate and I was able to make my pitches and keep Coastal Carolina from getting any momentum.”

Mahoney finished the night 2-3 with a run scored and one RBI and Pezzino was 3-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. Pezzino now has a hit in each of his last 14 games. White was 2-5 on the night with two RBI.

High Point (20-20, 6-10 Big South) and Coastal Carolina (25-14, 10-3 Big South) will play a double header Saturday at Williard Stadium beginning at 1 p.m.