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The High Point University baseball team completed is series sweep of Winthrop with a 4-2 win in the second game of a doubleheader on Friday night at Williard Stadium. Freshman Josh Greene delivered the winning hit with an RBI single in the seventh to break a 2-2 tie.

"I am really proud of this team's effort," head coach Craig Cozart said. "This has to be the best three games of baseball we have put together this season and in a short time frame with the doubleheader. Peter Ripke got us started on the mound and Conor Lourey really slammed the door. Josh Greene also came through with a clutch hit late. This team has great capability and we continue to improve."

Junior Conor Lourey got the win for the Panthers, improving to 5-0 on the season. Lourey entered the game in the fifth and pitched the final five innings, allowing just two walks while striking out seven. The junior has now pitched 13 scoreless innings and recorded 16 strikeouts in his last three appearances.

Joey Strain took the loss for the Eagles to drop to 5-4 on the season. Strain pitched 3-1/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits while striking out one.

High Point picked up its second series sweep in conference play this season with the win, improving to 23-16 overall and 11-7 in the Big South. Winthrop drops to 18-25 overall and falls to second in the South Division with a 9-9 mark in conference play.

The Panthers scored the first run of the game in the second inning, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by junior Cody Manzella. Junior Spencer Angelis led off the inning with a double and was bunted to third before scoring on the Manzella single.

Winthrop tied the game in the third with an RBI double by TJ Olesczuk and took the lead one-inning later on a solo home run by Brad Kaczka that landed just over the left field fence.

High Point came back to tie the game at 2-2 in the fifth on an RBI double by senior Kyle Brandenburg. The Panther third baseman hit a shot over the left fielder's head to the wall in the left center to score freshman Chris Clare who had led off the inning with an infield single.

Neither starter made it out of the fifth inning in the game. HPU's Peter Ripke pitched four innings and allowed two runs on six hits while Winthrop's Josh Strong lasted 4-2/3 innings and allowed two runs on six hits and a walk.

The score remained 2-2 until the seventh when Greene delivered with a two-out single to drive in two runs, giving High Point a 4-2 lead. The Panthers had two runners in scoring position after junior Tony Fortier-Bensen and Brandenburg both singled and then advanced on a wild pitch. Greene hit a hard single right back up the middle for his first hit of the day, driving in both HPU runners.

Greene finished 1-4 in the game with two RBI. Angelis went 3-4 in the second game with a run scored and finished the day going 4-6 at the plate with three runs scored in the two wins. Fortier-Bensen and Manzella each went 2-4 in the HPU victory.

Kaczka went 2-4 and recorded his first home run of the season for the Eagles. Leighton Daniels reached base in all four of his plate appearances, going 2-2 with two walks in the contest.

High Point returns to the road this week when the team heads to Greensboro, N.C. to face North Carolina A&T on Wednesday, April 23, at 6 p.m. NC A&T beat the Panthers, 7-6 in 10 innings, in the teams' first meeting on March 19 at Williard Stadium.