HIGH POINT, N.C. -- The High Point University baseball team dropped an 8-1 decision to Toledo at Williard Stadium on Friday evening. HPU dropped to 0-5 on the young season while Toledo improved to to 2-3. 

Site: Williard Stadium (High Point, N.C.)
Score: High Point 1, Toledo 8
Records: High Point (0-5, 0-0), Toledo (2-3, 0-0)

Head coach Joey Hammond: "Obviously the game got away from us in the sixth. You tip your hat to (Kyle) Jones and all their pitchers. They did a really good job of keeping us off balance and getting us outside of our game plan. We threw away a lot of at bats at the tail end and then a lot of that is credit to their guy, he did a good job. Certainly we got a jumpstart there with (Blake) Sutton getting us on the board and Shep (Carter Sheppard) was cruising. He was pitching really well, gave up a solo-homer but those don't beat you. We're in the game right there, we get a two-out little chopper back to Shep. It happens, errors are going to happen whether its that play or a different play. We talk about this a lot, it's how you recover after said adversity happens, and unfortunately that's a theme we've got to fix. It seems like at a sign of serious adversity, rather than meeting that challenge and focusing on your training and overcoming, it seems to kind of get us to be a deer-in-the-headlight kind of frozen and we haven't been able to get past that. We can acknowledge that, we talk about it, we train it, and build from it to hopefully come out and be able to handle adversity. Because it's going to happen in every single game, it's just how we handle it that's going to be the key. Hopefully tomorrow we'll get the opportunity to do it and come out on the other end of it."

Carter Sheppard was electric on the mound early for HPU, retiring the first seven batters before Toledo reached base on a fielder's choice. Blake Sutton also helped the Panther cause in the bottom of the first inning, hitting a solo shot over the right center field fence to put HPU on the board with the early 1-0 lead. 

The two sides traded zeros over the next two innings before the Rockets recorded their own homer to tie the game in the top of the fourth inning. The pitcher's duel resumed as both teams went down in order for the remainder of the fourth and fifth innings. 

Toledo opened up a five-run sixth inning with two singles and a sacrifice fly to center field that scored the go-ahead run. With the bases loaded, the Rockets used a single to left field to take the 4-1 lead. Two more runs scored on another single to center and Toledo took the 6-1 lead to the bottom of the sixth. 

HPU was unable to respond, as the Panthers went down in order in the sixth and seventh frames until CJ Neese reached base on a throwing error in the eighth inning. Both teams went down in order for the remainder of the game. 

Carter Sheppard drops to 0-1 on the season after 5.2 innings pitched, giving up five hits and two earned runs with seven strikeouts. Sutton and Brady Pearre recorded HPU's only two hits on the night. 

Up Next: HPU hosts Toledo in a double header tomorrow (Sat., Feb. 26th). First pitch of game one is at 12 p.m.