HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University Baseball team lost, 6-1, in the final game of the four-game series against UMass-Lowell to open the 2024 season.
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 1, UMass-Lowell 6
Records: High Point (1-3, 0-0), UMass-Lowell (3-1, 0-0)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "A disappointing weekend in general. We had some baseball games up until today. I felt like we had some opportunities, and we didn't do baseball well today at all. We had an opportunity to salvage the weekend and it is frustrating and disappointing. We need to figure it out, and we need to figure it out quick. I did share with the team that every team has a bad weekend at some point throughout the year. We just happened to use our mulligan on the first weekend. We got work we got to do, no doubt about it. We pitched well today and pitched well enough to win a game… We will take responsibility for that no doubt about it and will find a way to regroup. We will have practice tomorrow and get ready to take on App State."
Matt Little got the start for the final game of opening weekend against the RiverHawks. Little had a solid outing, but Lowell started to figure him out in the second time around the order. He pitched five innings, allowing eight hits, three runs, and striking out two batters.
Lowell opened the scoring in the third inning with three straight singles which scored a few to make it 3-0.
Brayden Simpson answered in the bottom of the third with an RBI single to center as Ahalt came around to score HPU's first run of the game.
Joey Tuttoilmondo would see action on the mound to get his first career appearance under his belt. He started strong as he struck out two batters looking at strike three to end the sixth inning.
Lowell grabbed two more runs in the top of the seventh to make it a 5-1 ballgame.
Dalton Williams would relieve Tuttoilmondo in the seventh as he threw for two innings, allowing one hit, one run, and striking out three.
David Keith made an appearance in the ninth inning to keep Lowell off the board.
Little is tagged with his first loss of the season as the Panthers struggled to put the ball in play this afternoon in the last game of the opening series.
Up Next: High Point welcomes Appalachian State to Williard Stadium for a mid-week game on Tuesday, Feb. 20. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.
#GoHPU
