HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team has now won five straight weekend series as the Panthers defeat Presbyterian on Saturday afternoon, 15-7.
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 15, Presbyterian 7
Records: High Point (21-18, 10-4), Presbyterian (19-20, 10-4)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "Awesome job by our guys tonight. We now have an opportunity to sweep a good team and propel ourselves in the standings. Can't say enough great things about our offense. To put that many runs up against another undefeated arm and to score over 13 runs in back-to-back games against the team with the lowest era in our league is incredible. Nine, two out rbi and 10 extra base hits are exceptional! Wozniak was sharp through six and allowed for us to stretch the lead to a point of no return!"
Brett Wozniak was sharp out there on the mound as he mowed down the Blue Hose lineup through six innings of play. He earned his sixth win on the year after throwing 6.1 innings, allowing three runs, on four hits, striking out four batters.
Peyton Carr has not slowed down one bit since his return to the Panther lineup. He got the club going right off the bat in the first inning as he smashed a two-run home run to put the Panthers up 2-0.
Presbyterian added a run in the third to cut the lead to one.
To no surprise at all, Carr got a hold of another ball and lifted it out over the fence for his second homer in as many at bats. HPU now held a 3-1 lead.
In the fifth, High Point tacked on four more runs both off long balls.
Adam Stuart and
Eric Grintz both knocked out their sixth of the year as two-run bombs.
Cael Chatham sent home the seventh runner of the night in the sixth as he drove a double to right field scoring
Brayden Simpson. Carr then tallied another RBI as he singled to right field bringing home Chatham. Panthers led 9-1 after six innings of play.
Howell Polk came out of the bullpen relieving Wozniak with one out in the seventh.
The Blue Hose tallied two more runs in the seventh off two hits to make it a 9-3 game.
Frank Kelly answered for HPU in the bottom half of the seventh as he also sent a double to right field bringing home
Charlie Klingler and Simpson.
Konni Durschlag followed with his ninth double to bring home the 12
th run of the night.
Three more runs crossed the plate off a three-run blast from Presbyterian in the eighth to make it a 12-6 game.
Grintz hit another homer in the eighth, but this time, it came in three-run fashion as he extended the Panther lead to 15-6.
Dalton Olsovsky took over on the mound in the eighth with one out. He was able to shut the door to finish the inning. The Blue Hose tallied one more run late off a solo shot in the top of the ninth. Olsovsky sat down the next two batters to secure another victory and series win for the Panthers.
Up Next: High Point will look for the sweep in game three tomorrow at 1 p.m.
#GoHPU
