HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point baseball opened Big South play at home against the Blue Hose of Presbyterian on Friday afternoon. It was not ideal baseball playing weather for either team as a misting rain hovered over the field for most of the game. After giving up five early runs in the first four innings, the Panthers fought back to a one run game. Unable to secure the tying run, the Panthers came up short 7-6 in the first game of the series.
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 6 , Presbyterian 7
Records: High Point (6-11), Presbyterian (8-11)
Joey Hammond: "We just were not ready to play. We didn't come out sharp, we didn't pitch well, we let a pop-up drop and they had one swing. Those three runs obviously made a difference in the game. I say this all the time, you don't win games in the first inning, but you can absolutely lose them. I'm proud of some of the recovery and some of the things that happened since the first inning, and I felt like our bats got better as the game went on and that gave us a shot."
Presbyterian opened the game loading the bases. A double to left center field cleared the bases for the Blue Hose, advancing to a quick 3-0 lead.
The Panthers gained one hit through the next three innings before Presbyterian scored two more runs in the top of the fourth to make it a 5-0 lead.
Making contact in the bottom of the fourth, High Point tagged their first run on the board with a double from
Javon Fields to right field.
Brett Ahalt rounded two bases to score the first run for the Panthers after getting on from a single to left field. With two outs, Fields scored from second base after a throwing error by the Blue Hose's shortstop kept
Charlie Klinger's hit alive to make it 5-2.
In Presbyterian's next at bat, the Blue Hose managed to squeeze in two runs from two pass balls by the Panthers, extending their lead to 7-2.
In the bottom of the sixth,
Adam Stuart slashed one down the right field line, clearing the bases for a two RBI double to close the gap to 7-4. Klingler's rip to center field scored Stuart, tacking on another run for the Panthers. A sacrifice fly from Matthews brought in HPU's fourth run of the inning, going into the seventh down one, 7-6.
Taking it down to the ninth inning,
Patrick Matthews led off with a walk. Pinch hitting for
Trenton Pallas, Miggy Echazarreta laid down a third baseline bunt in an attempt to move the runner, but the Blue Hose's third baseman threw down to second to get the Panthers lead runner out. Echazarreta stole second with one out, but HPU was unable to bring him home before the final two outs.
Up Next: The Panthers and Blue Hose return to Williard Stadium for the second game of the series on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m.
#GoHPU
