BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team ended its regular season on a, 13-11, victory over Gardner-Webb on Saturday afternoon.
Site: John Henry Moss Stadium
Score: High Point 13, Gardner-Webb 11
Records: High Point (31-25, 17-7), Gardner-Webb (22-31, 9-15)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "Good to get out of town with a series victory and get most of our roster involved in the game. The middle innings were difficult for us but I was happy to see Cael slam the door for another save. Now we get to regroup and prepare for the conference tournament. We recognized the special regular season we've had and earned the right to compete for a championship. Exciting time for the Panthers!"
Matt Little took the mound for his final start of the regular season. In a bullpen game, Little only went one inning with a clean slate, not allowing a run or a hit. Nine other Panthers saw action on the mound this afternoon.
Konni Durschlag led off first pitch swinging as he hit one hard to center for a single.
Cael Chatham was walked, and
Peyton Carr was hit by the pitch to load the bases for
Adam Stuart. Grounding into a double play brought in Durschlag to put the Panthers up 1-0.
The bases were loaded once again the second after a single from
Patrick Matthews.
Dawson Harman and Matthew Martinez both were hit by the pitch. A walk to Durschlag and Chatham brought in a pair of runs.
Peyton Carr then hit in the fourth runner to earn an RBI to make it a 4-0 game.
Joey Tuttoilmondo took the ball out of the bullpen to throw the second inning. The Runnin' Bulldogs brought a run across the plate on an RBI double. Another run scored on a single through the left side.
High Point put runners of the corners with no outs in the third after a
Charlie Klingler walk and a
Brayden Simpson single down the right field line. Simpson swiped second to put two runners in scoring position. Matthews brought home both runners with a single through the left side to extend the Panther lead, 6-3. HPU went on to score six more runs that inning as
Xavier Cumbee walked to bring in a run, Carr singled earning two more RBI's, Stuart hit an RBI single to left field, and then Stuart got caught in a run-down, but
Frank Kelly was able to score the seventh run of the inning.
Tyler Romanias pitched the third as he retired the side in order.
Through three innings, the Panthers led 11-2.
Sean Duffy pitched a scoreless bottom of the fourth and
Braden Halladay also put up a zero coming in relief in the fifth.
David Keith pitched the sixth recording two strikeouts and a scoreless inning.
Howell Polk came out of the bullpen to pitch the seventh. The Runnin' Bulldogs added one back with a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh. Three more runs came across for GWU as a three-run home run was hit to left field.
Chatham parked his 16
th home run of the season in the eighth inning to extend the Panther lead to six, 12-6.
Jake Potts came in relief to pitch the eighth inning. A run came across before
Noah Carter took over with one out and the bases loaded. An RBI double cleared the bases to make it a one run game, 12-11. Chatham came in to relieve Carter with two outs and a man on second. One pitch and one out retired the five-run inning for GWU.
Simpson hit one over the left field wall for a late insurance run in the top of the ninth.
Chatham put up a zero to close out the game and the regular season for the Panthers with a 13-11 victory on Saturday afternoon. Chatham earned his seventh save of the year. Little was credited with the win to improve his regular season record to 6-2.
Up Next: The Panthers will match up with the No. 3 seed, USC Upstate in the Big South Conference Tournament on Thursday, May 23 at 5 p.m. at Truist Point in High Point, N.C.
#GoHPU
