ROCK HILL, S.C. — The High Point University baseball team took care of business on Sunday afternoon, taking the series with a 12-9 win in the final game.
Bats were steady for the Panthers throughout the full four-hour game on Mother's Day.
Brett Ahalt went off, going four for six at the plate along with two stolen bases.
Site: The Winthrop Ballpark
Score: High Point 12, Winthrop 9
Records: High Point 19-32 (10-12), Winthrop 25-26 (13-10)
The Panthers took control early, bringing in two runs in the top of the first. A single to right center field from
Cael Chatham rounded Ahalt home, before a single, a wild pitch and a grounder allowed Chatham to score the second run.
The teams entered the fourth inning with a Winthrop lead of 5-4, making it the Eagles' only lead of the game. HPU had a strong presence at the plate in the top of the fourth, scoring seven runs on five hits.
Josh Deslauriers opened the inning with his first home run of the year and from that moment on, the Panthers kept the momentum pushing.
With the score 11-5 going into the fifth, Winthrop added runs in the bottom of the fifth and seventh to cut the game to 11-9. The Panthers did what they needed to do to hold the Eagles scoreless in their final two at bats as
Braden Halladay came in to earn the save, with the help of the Panther defense, allowing one hit.
Before the last out in High Point's last at bat, Ahalt scored on a balk to tag the Panthers 12
th run of the game.
HPU recorded it's best day at the plate this season with 17 hits, making it the teams second, 15+ hitting game for 2023. The Panthers registered 15 hits against Elon on Tuesday night in the 13-7 victory.
Up Next: High Point hosts UNC Asheville on Thursday for a three-day series at Williard beginning at 6:00 pm. This will be the last regular season series.
#GoHPU
