HIGH POINT, N.C. – Three Panthers had a multi-hit performance in the first game of the doubleheader as the High Point University baseball team split the two games on Sunday afternoon.
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 7, Mercer 1
Records: High Point (24-20), Mercer (22-19)
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 0, Mercer 8
Records: High Point (24-21), (23-19)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "
Matt Little did a masterful job today. To get a complete game on a day with a doubleheader is amazing. He set the tone and allowed our defense to make plays for him and our offense to pull away for good. I was very pleased with the offense as well. On a day where the wind is blowing in- hitting can be difficult and we did a great job to get seven runs across."
"A misplayed ball in the first led to a 3 run home run that we couldn't recover from. Olsovsky was great other than that one mistake to their leading HR hitter and he took advantage of it. For the first 6 innings, we were right in the game and I was pleased with our offense even tho we didn't score. We hit no less than a half dozen balls right in the screws in some big situations only to have each one land in their gloves! Credit Mercer for limiting free bases and making every single play throughout the game."
"This series was important to play a strong team and prepare us for this stretch to end the regular season. For the most part, we did a good job of competing while also getting some key guys that are banged up a little rest ahead of this coming week."
Matt Little threw another complete game which was his second as a Panther as he went nine innings, allowing just one run, on eight hits. Little earned his fifth win on the year improving his record to 5-2.
The Panthers jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first as
Adam Stuart doubled to right field scoring
Miggy Echazarreta.
Charlie Klingler followed Stuart's double with one of his own to make it a 2-0 game.
In the third, Echazarreta crossed the plate off a Mercer wild pitch that got away from the catcher. The Panthers held a 3-0 lead after three innings.
Brayden Simpson made it a 4-0 game in the fourth as he grounded out to the second basemen but Klingler came home to score.
The Mercer Bears tallied a run in the fifth as Bradley Frye grounded into a double play to allow Noah Best to come home and score.
In the sixth,
Konni Durschlag doubled off the left field wall on the first strike he saw as two runners scored. Echazarreta then reached safely on his fourth single of the day as he went 4-5 at the plate.
Cael Chatham capped it off with a solo shot to right field in the seventh to extend the HPU lead to 7-1.
Little shut down the Bears keeping them off the board to earn his fifth win and second complete game as the Panthers took a 7-1 victory in game one of the doubleheader.
Game two was a tad different than game one for HPU. The Mercer Bears shutout the Panthers, 8-0.
Dalton Olsovsky started game two in what ended up being a bullpen affair as the Bears offense came alive.
Joey Tuttoilmondo,
Sean Duffy, and
David Keith rounded out the HPU bullpen in tonight's game.
The Bears recorded three runs in the first inning off a three-run shot by Jackson Cherry. In the seventh, they added another as Alex Ramirez knocked down an RBI double to right field. Two more runners crossed home in the sixth for Mercer as Carter Sanford plated two on another double to right field. They made it an 8-0 game in the eighth as Ramirez and Best both earned RBI's.
Echazarreta stayed hot at the plate as he tallied two more hits, earning himself six hits on the day. He swiped three bags today bumping up his total to 14 stolen bags on the season.
Up Next: High Point will welcome top-ranked Wake Forest to town on Wednesday, May 1 at 6 p.m.
#GoHPU
