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• High Point shutout NC Central on its way to a 5-0 win, improving to 21-18 on the season.
• Freshman Carson Jackson had an inside-the-park home run and earned the win on the mound, his first collegiate win.
• Six HPU pitchers combined to post HPU's second shutout of the season.
 
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Freshman Carson Jackson hit an inside-the-park home run and earned his first collegiate win on the mound as the High Point University baseball team picked up a 5-0 win over North Carolina Central on Wednesday night at Williard Stadium.

"North Carolina Central is no easy win and I am proud that we were able to get the shutout tonight," head coach Craig Cozart said. "Six pitchers combined for the shutout and Brady Williamson made a great throw to get someone out at home to keep the zero intact. Carson Jackson and Tony Fortier-Bensen came up big at the plate, driving in a couple runs apiece. I love that we got the win tonight and we need to carry this into the weekend."

Jackson made his first collegiate start on the bump for High Point and pitched 3-2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts to improve to 1-0 on the season. Sophomore Jeremy Johnson, junior Tyler Britton, sophomore Andre Scrubb, senior Will Resnik and redshirt-junior Jace Herrera followed Jackson and combined to finish off the Panthers' second shutout of the season.

Jonathan Figueroa took the loss for the Eagles, dropping to 1-1 in 2015. Figueroa pitched seven innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

The win was the Panthers' fourth in a row and it improved HPU's record on the season to 21-18. North Carolina Central dropped to 19-22 with the loss.

High Point took an early 1-0 lead with a run in the second inning. Seniors Brady Williamson and Dane McDermott opened the inning with back-to-back singles and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Chris Clare before a fly ball by senior Tony Fortier-Bensen drove in Williamson for the game's first run.

NC Central nearly tied the game in the sixth as Ronald Thompson singled with two outs and promptly stole second and third. The Eagles' designated hitter then tried to steal home on a delayed double steal, but was thrown out at the plate by Fortier-Bensen.

The Panthers scored again in the bottom of the sixth and go ahead 2-0, following the same pattern as in the second inning. Williamson reached on an error and McDermott singled to lead off the inning. Clare then laid down his second sacrifice bunt of the game and Fortier-Bensen scored Williamson with a fly ball to put HPU up two.

In the top of the following inning, Central got a leadoff double from Jacobi Harris and appeared on the verge of scoring when James Dey singled through the infield, but Harris was thrown out by Williamson at home. The outfield assist was Williamson's third of the season.

High Point doubled its lead in the bottom of the seventh on the inside-the-park home run by Jackson, the freshman's first home run of the season. Jackson hit a line drive to center and Central's Carlos Ortiz made a diving attempt to make the catch. The ball skipped past Ortiz and rolled all the way to the wall in center, allowing Jackson to touch all four bags. Senior Spencer Angelis doubled just ahead of Jackson and scored on the play.

The Panthers added a run in the eighth to go up 5-0 on an RBI single by freshman Hunter Lee, scoring Fortier-Bensen who had singled and stole second.

Jackson finished 2-4 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored. Fortier-Bensen went 1-1 with a walk, two RBI and one run scored while Williamson went 1-4 with two runs scored.

High Point returns to Big South action this weekend when it travels to Virginia to play three games against conference leaders Radford beginning on Friday, April 24. The Panthers will try and win their fifth conference series of the season and their third road series.

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