HIGH POINT, N.C. — After a slight rain delay, the High Point baseball team kicked off game three of the weekend series with the USC Upstate Spartans. After going extra innings, the Panthers came up two runs short, 8-6 in the bottom of the tenth.
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 6, USC Upstate 8
Records: High Point (7-15, 1-5), USC Upstate (16-9, 3-0)
Fired up to start the game, the Panthers had hot bats at the plate. Scoring two runs off two hits with home runs from leadoff batter
Brett Ahalt and clean-up spot
Cael Chatham. Ahalt knocking out his second leadoff home run of the year, marked his eighth homer this season.
Making it a one run game, USC Upstate pinned a run on the board in the top of the third with a double down the left field line to send a runner home from third.
On the mound for Hight Point,
Sean Duffy closed out each of the first three innings with a strikeout, recording five total before handing it over to
Everett Vaughan in the top of the fifth.
The Spartans tied the game at two all in the top of the sixth with a shot up the middle to round a runner from second base home. With two outs, a chopper down third base led to an error on the Panthers which allowed two more runs for USC Upstate. Another hit up the middle advanced the Spartans on a 5-2 lead.
Blake Sutton's clutch two-run homer in the next half inning closed the gap to a single run game at 5-4.
After coming in the game in the middle of the sixth inning,
David Keith had a strong performance on the mound, striking out five batters and allowing one hit.
Adding another home run on the board for the Panthers,
Javon Fields tied the game at five all going into the top of the ninth.
A scoreless ninth inning sent the game into extra innings. The Spartans batting first loaded the bases off three straight singles. With one out, Keith secured the second out with a strikeout. A diving attempt for
Adam Stuart at shortstop was inches shy of getting the third out, giving USC Upstate a two-run lead. The Spartans added one more off a base hit to center field.
In the Panthers final at bat, Chatham drove in one run for High Point to make it 8-6, Spartans but a fly out to left field ended the game.
Up Next: The Panthers host No. 2 Wake Forest on Tuesday afternoon for a mid-week non-conference matchup at 6:00 p.m.
#GoHPU
