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The High Point University baseball team held off a ninth inning rally by Wake Forest to escape with a 16-15 road win on Wednesday. The Demon Deacons scored five runs in the ninth but Jaime Schultz struck out Conor Keniry with the bases loaded to end the game.  

“The only thing I can say about that game is I am glad we got a win on the road,” said head coach Craig Cozart. “I am proud that our team never gave up. They battled for every out and it is great to be 4-1.”

High Point led 16-10 entering the bottom of the ninth with Schultz on the mound. The leadoff batter reached on a single, the only batter to get a hit in the inning. Schultz walked five and hit one, leading to five Wake Forest runs. Keniry struck out, leaving the bases loaded for the HPU win. Schultz gave up five runs but only one was earned because of a dropped foul ball.

Matt Armstead threw 6-1/3 innings for his first win of the season. He gave up three runs on five hits with five walks and four strikeouts in relief of HPU starter Jared Avidon. The win improves HPU to 4-1 this season and drops Wake Forest to 1-4.

High Point trailed 7-4 in the second inning with Sal Pezzino and Sean Wilson on base when Wake Forest went to their bullpen. Colin Egan replaced starter Nike Spezial with Retz coming to the plate. Ryan Retz took Egan's first pitch over the right field wall to knot the score 7-7.

Freshman Ryne Rush got on base to lead off the fifth inning, taking a pitch from Matt Pirro off the elbow. After a walk to Andrew Bartlett, Pirro was replaced by Jack Fischer who loaded the bases with a walk to Mike Miedzianowski. Zach Hubbard worked a bases-loaded walk to bring home Rush and put HPU ahead 8-7. Bartlett scored on a wild pitch and Pezzino singled in Miedzianowski to extend HPU's lead to 10-7.

Pezzino came up with the big hit again in the seventh, driving in two more runs with a deep single to right center field. The Panthers added two more to lead the game 14-7 in the top of the seventh.

The Deacons tagged Avidon for seven runs in the first inning before he was relieved by Armstead. The junior gave up seven runs on four hits with two walks without recording an out. Armstead kept Wake Forest off the board until the Deacs were able to push across three runs in the seventh inning to make it a 14-10 High Point lead.

Retz picked up two more RBI with a double to left center that scored Pezzino and Bujnovsky in the ninth inning.
Pezzino finished the game 5-5 with four runs scored and four RBI and Retz went 4-6 with six RBI.

HPU returns to Williard Stadium for a weekend series with Dayton. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Last season the Panthers swept Dayton in a three-game series at Williard Stadium.