HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team split the doubleheader with Dayton as the Panthers took game one on Saturday afternoon.
Game 1:
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 13, Dayton 7
Records: High Point (3-7, 0-0) Dayton (3-5, 0-0)
Head Coach Joey Hammond on Game 1: "Really proud of how the offense took over the game midway thru. Our guys were able to stack great at bats together and got aggressive swings off pitches in the zones they were expecting. Good things happen when you pound 8 extra base hits in a game.
Jake Potts continued to be an anchor for us to finish games on the mound."
Brett Wozniak took the ball to start the first game of the doubleheader for the Panthers. A strong outing and help from the offense earned him his second win of the season. Wozniak went 5.1 innings, allowing six runs, on nine hits, and striking out three.
High Point got on the board first in the second inning, as
Charlie Klingler hit a solo shot to right center to jump out to an early 1-0 lead. That was Klingler's first homer of the season.
Just a few batters later,
Eric Grintz took one yard over the left field wall. Another solo shot put HPU up 2-0.
In the fifth inning, HPU opened the scoring up by tallying eight runs and batting around the order.
Konni Durschlag started it off by doubling to left center, scoring
Frank Kelly and
Eric Grintz.
Adam Stuart sent one the other way to right field for a single. In came Durschlag to score the Panthers fifth run of the game.
Klingler up to the plate smashed a double to right field, scoring
Cael Chatham and
Sam Schner. Its now a 7-2 ball game.
Brayden Simpson got a hold of one and smashed it over the left field wall for a three-run homer. Panthers took a 10-2 lead.
Adam Grintz relieved Wozniak in the sixth. Grintz shut the Flyers down in 1.2 innings of work, allowing just one run, on one hit, striking out two.
Dayton crawled their way back a tad scoring four runs in the sixth inning, making it a 10-6 game. The Flyers took another run in the seventh off a sacrifice fly to center.
In the eighth inning, Chatham flied out to right as Kelly tagged up from third.
Stuart up for his fifth time, took a pitch and drove it 372 feet over the wall to extend the lead to 13-7.
Jake Potts came in the game in the eighth and stayed hot out of the bullpen. Potts recorded his second save throwing 2 innings, allowing just two hits, and striking out two.
High Point took game one of the doubleheader, 13-7.
Game 2:
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 2, Dayton, 10
Records: High Point (3-8, 0-0), Dayton (4-5, 0-0)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "We were simply not good enough in every facet of the game. Although it was a close until the 9th inning, we didn't do enough to deserve to win that ballgame. The consistent theme of allowing free bases continues to haunt us on the mound. Offensively, we had some opportunities to do damage at times but came up short on the execution. We have a chance to secure our first series win vs a very good club tomorrow and I expect our guys understand how important that is."
Game two of the doubleheader started with
Gus Hughes on the bump. Hughes pitched a solid first four innings, until Dayton started to chip away. Hughes pitched 5.1 innings, allowing five runs, on four hits, and striking out eight batters.
Christian Baker,
David Keith, and
Noah Carter all saw time on the mound today for the Panthers.
In the bottom of the third,
Justin Ruiz stung one up the middle to record his first collegiate hit of his career.
The Flyers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after a grand slam to left field in the fifth. Another run came in off a passed ball, making it a 5-0 Dayton lead in the sixth.
Chatham got the team on the board after a two-run home run to right center in the bottom half of the sixth.
Five runs would come across in the top of the ninth as that was enough to seal the deal in game two of the day.
Up Next: High Point will play the rubber match of the Dayton series tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
#GoHPU
