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The High Point University baseball team opened the season with a 2-0 win over Army Friday at Williard Stadium. Five HPU pitchers combined for the shutout led by junior Malcolm Clapsaddle who picked up his first career win and sophomore Jaime Schultz who earned his first career save.

“This is a good way to start the season,” said head coach Craig Cozart. “Malcolm came out with a solid, efficient performance and we were able to piece it together with the bullpen from there. Jaime Schultz is a big-time pitcher with over powering stuff and he did a great job at the end of the game. We got solid defensive plays all night, especially from Ryne Rush and Zach Hubbard.”

Clapsaddle retired the first 11 batters of the game before Army first baseman Kevin McKague broke through with a two-out single in the fourth inning. In his first outing as a Panther, Clapsaddle went six innings with three strikeouts and allowed three hits.

“This is exactly the start I wanted to give my teammates,” Clapsaddle said. “This entire team has been working hard every day and it is very rewarding to give them a good performance to start the season. This was such a different atmosphere than junior college. There were more fans and the talent level was so much higher. It was a lot of fun.”

Army starting pitcher Logan Lee was equally effective, striking out six batters in five innings of work. He allowed just two hits before coming out of the game. Colin Bryant relieved him in the sixth inning, giving up two runs on two hits with two walks to take the loss.

Freshman Will Resnik, junior Jared Avidon, freshman Joe Goodman and Schultz finished off the game for the HPU bullpen. Schultz entered the game with two outs and two runners on in the eighth inning. He got McKague to pop up in foul territory to end the inning. Schultz came back out in the ninth inning and struck out the side for his first career save. It was his first appearance back after missing the entire 2011 season.

A pair of two-out runs in the sixth inning was the difference in the game. Ryan Retz singled through the left side with two outs and Sal Pezzino earned a four-pitch walk. Freshman Spencer Angelis took a pitch off the helmet to load the bases. Freshman Ryne Rush picked up his first collegiate RBI with a walk to score Retz. In the at bat Rush fouled a pitch off his foot so Cozart went to the bench and sent Dane McDermott in to run. The switch paid off as McDermott beat out a throw to second on a fielder's choice off the bat of Andrew Bartlett that allowed HPU's second run to score.

Pezzino finished the night 2-3 with a run scored and Rush was 1-2 with an RBI.

High Point and Army will play a double header on Saturday beginning at noon. Sophomore Jon Carlson will start the first game for HPU and junior Jacob Newberry will take the mound for the series finale.