HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team dropped game one to the Mercer Bears, 4-3, on Saturday night.
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 3, Mercer 4
Records: High Point (23-20), Mercer (22-18)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "It's unfortunate to come out on the short end of a tight game but those are the type of games we need to get comfortable playing and winning. We had a handful of balls hit perfectly but right at their defenders and they made every play and limited free bases. That is ultimately what was the difference in the game, the free bases we gave in the 8th obviously costed us. Quick turnaround for tomorrow and we get two more cracks against a strong team."
Gus Hughes started game one for HPU. He shoved 6.1 innings of work, allowing two runs, on five hits, striking out six batters.
Mercer jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the third inning as Ty Dalley parked a two-run shot for the Bears.
It became a battle of the defenses as both teams put up zeros in the fourth and in the top of the fifth.
HPU got one back in the bottom of the fifth as
Brayden Simpson knocked his sixth long ball of the season.
In the very next inning,
Cael Chatham followed up with another double after
Konni Durschlag previously doubled down the left field line. Chatham scored Durschlag to tie the game at 2-2 in the sixth. Simpson then drew a bases loaded walk for High Point to take its first lead of the game, 3-2.
Noah Carter relieved Hughes in the seventh with one out. Carter would get out of the inning with two strikeouts after walking two straight batters. He got into some trouble in the eighth as he walked two more guys to put two runners on. Chatham then came in for Carter with no outs in the eighth. Two runners crossed the plate off a SAC fly and a double which put the Bears out front 4-3.
HPU was unable to put a string of at-bats together in the late innings to try and win it as the Mercer Bears took game one, 4-3.
Up Next: HPU will play a double header tomorrow for games two and three. The first game will start at 12 p.m. and the second will start approximately 40 minutes after the first game ends.
#GoHPU
