Box Score (PDF)

• High Point dropped a 14-8 decision to Elon at Williard Stadium on Tuesday night.
• Junior Austen Zente went 3-5 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored while senior Josh Greene reached base four times, going 2-3 with two walks.
• The Panthers are right back at it tomorrow night with a road game at NC Central in Durham, N.C.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team fell at home to Elon by a score of 14-8 on Tuesday night at Williard Stadium. Junior Austen Zente drove in three for the Panthers in the loss.

"We are struggling to find the depth on the mound to make ourselves competitive in midweek games right now," head coach Craig Cozart said. "Kevin Bell and Trey Piesco pitched well late in the game, we played errorless baseball and our offense really started clicking in the later innings, but our starting pitching didn't put us in position to compete. All of that being said the energy in our dugout was really good tonight. We are going through a tough time right now but we are in it for the long run and these guys are willing to keep working, grind it out and make this better."

Zente finished 3-5 out of the leadoff position with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. He was one of two HPU players to record multiple hits along with senior Josh Greene who went 2-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored.

Senior Peter Ripke took the loss for the Panthers, dropping to 0-1 on the season. The right-hander gave up five earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out one in 2-2/3 innings of work.

Sean Byrnes got the win in relief for Elon after pitching 1-2/3 scoreless innings in which he allowed two hits and a walk and struck out one.

The loss drops the Panthers to 10-13 on the season while Elon improves to 12-13 overall in 2017. 

Elon took a 7-0 lead after 3-1/2 innings as the Phoenix scored two runs in the first then added three runs in the fourth and another two in the fourth.
 
Down by seven, Zente put the Panthers on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run, his fifth of the season. The junior outfielder turned on the second pitch he saw and hit a hard shot right down the line and over the wall in left to move into a tie for the team lead along with junior Carson Jackson.

The Phoenix scored six runs in the top of the fifth to go ahead by a score of 13-1, but HPU answered back with three runs in the bottom of the frame. The Purple & White loaded the bases on three walks ahead of Zente who drove in two with an RBI single. After a single by redshirt-senior Tim Mansfield loaded the bases again, Greene delivered an RBI single to drive in the third run of the inning.

HPU continued to chip away at the Elon lead with two runs in the seventh. The Panthers once again loaded the bases and junior Jordan Sergent hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the first run of the inning then Zente scored his second run of the contest on a wild pitch.

After Elon added a run in the top of the ninth on a solo home run, High Point returned the favor in the bottom of the frame as freshman Joe Johnson hit a solo shot to lead off the Panther half of the inning, his first collegiate home run.

High Point returns to action tomorrow when the team heads to Durham, N.C., to face NC Central in the second game of a home-and-home season series between the two sides. The Panthers fell at home to Central earlier this season by a score of 11-5 after the Eagles scored six ninth-inning runs to break a 5-5 tie.

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