HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University baseball team went 1-1 on Saturday afternoon with the visiting Leopards of Lafayette College in doubleheader action. Between the two games, the teams went yard with 16 home runs in the 18 innings of play, scoring 28 of the 44 runs off homers.
Brett Ahalt went 5-for-10 on the day, registering two homers and three RBI.
Cael Chatham went 4-for-7 at the plate, recording two home runs with three RBI.
Jack Pokorak hit his first home run of his collegiate career.
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 13, Lafayette 10; High Point 10, Lafayette 11
Records: High Point (4-6), Lafayette (3-8)
Brett Wozniak started on the mound for the Panthers in game one. Both teams started the game hot at the plate, as the Leopards scored three early runs followed by two runs for the Panthers. Back-to-back homers from Ahalt and Chatham made it 3-2 Lafayette.
Tying the game at three all, Pokorak found the gap in right center field but in the Leopards next at bat, Pete Ciuffreda hit his second homer of the day to take the lead 4-2.
Seeing déjà vu, Chatham ripped his second home run in his second at bat over left field to bring in two runs, to make it 5-4 HPU.
With the game tied at five all, the Panthers struggled on defense in the sixth and seventh innings, allowing Lafayette to take a 10-5 lead.
A solid seventh inning at the plate for High Point led to a one run differential game going into the eighth. Two walks placed runners on first and third for HPU.
Charlie Klingler saved the day with a bomb over the right center field fence to put the Panthers on top, 12-9. A balk added one more run before the end of the inning.
The Leopards only gained one hit in the top of the ninth, leading to a 13-10 victory for High Point.
Carter Sheppard opened game two on the mound for the Panthers. Throwing for six innings, he allowed nine hits from the 26 batters.
High Point jumped out on a 9-3 lead with home runs from
Blake Sutton, Pokorak,
Adam Stuart, and Ahalt.
Closing the gap to three, the Leopards caught fire in the seventh inning teeing off a three run homer and a two run homer to take a one run lead over the Panthers.
With limited time left in the game,
Patrick Matthews got on with a double down the left field line. Playing smart, a sacrifice bunt from Klingler advanced Matthews into scoring position with one out.
Javon Fields hit a pop fly deep to center field, allowing Matthews to tag and tie the game 10-10.
Both teams went scoreless through the eighth and ninth innings, causing the game to go into extra innings.
In the top of the 10
th, Ciuffreda for Lafayette hit his fourth home run of the day to give the Leopards the one run advantage over High Point. In the Panthers last at bat, HPU was unable to bring in a run with bases loaded, resulting in the 11-10 loss.
Up Next: Panthers and Leopards return to action at Williard Stadium, on Sunday March 5 for the final game of the series beginning at 1 p.m.
#GoHPU
