RADFORD, VA. - High Point University baseball uses a combined effort of offense and defense to down Radford in game one of the weekend series. Patrick Matthews led the way offensively with three hits while David Keith and Braden Halladay took care of business on the mound.
Site: Carter Memorial Stadium
Score: High Point 12, Radford 7
Records: High Point (8-21, 2-8 Big South), Radford (7-23, 0-7 Big South)
Head Coach Joey Hammon: "Certainly feels good to get in the Win column. I'm really proud of the toughness our guys showed and found a way to overcome some adversity in the middle innings. We have had so many games that have been identical but tonight we found a way to overcome. I can't say enough about the job
Braden Halladay did tonight. He made pitches all night long and was exactly what we needed! The offense found a way to stack innings and score every inning from the 3rd on and that is the style of baseball we want to play. Stealing bases, 2 out RBI's, those are game changers. Now we need to show up tomorrow and play a complete game behind Gus and try to secure a series."
High Point traveled to Radford to take on the Highlanders, in a game that started off slowly. Neither team could seem to gain an edge. Radford scored first on a solo home run, but High Point answered back when Matthews scored on a wild pitch in the third inning.
Starting on the mound for the Panthers, Keith threw for 4.0 innings, collecting five strikeouts from the 18 batters faced.
Matthews stepped to the plate again in the fourth and delivered, giving High Point the lead with an RBI single.
High Point tacked on two more in the fifth inning, with a Miggy Echazarreta sacrifice fly and a Blake Sutton RBI single. Unfortunately, the bottom of the fifth was costly for the Panthers. They fell behind the Highlanders 6-4.
High Point brought the game to 6-5 on a balk in the top of the sixth. They started the bottom of the inning with an amazing diving catch from Brayden Simpson. The Panthers finished the inning quickly, getting the first 1-2-3 inning for either team during the contest.
With two outs in the seventh, Josh Deslauriers hit an RBI single into center field to tie the game at six. Matthews hit a ball deep into the outfield that brought Deslauriers home all of the way from first base, which gave the Panthers the lead, 7-6. Adam Stuart stepped up next and popped a ball into the outfield that Radford dropped. Matthews scored on an error, adding one run to the lead.
In the top of the eighth, with the basis loaded, a wild pitch scored another run for the Panthers, stretching their lead to 3. Trenton Pallas added another run with a sacrifice fly. A Deslauriers single knocked in another run, which gave High Point its seventh straight run.
In the top of the ninth, Echazarreta drove in another run, giving High Point a 12-6 lead.
Halladay closed the game out on the mound for the Panthers, who won the game 12-7. High Point now holds the all-time series lead versus Radford, 40-39.
#GoHPU
