SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Panthers hit a combined 11 home runs in today's double header as the High Point University baseball team took one game on Friday afternoon. HPU hit nine home runs in game one, breaking the single-game team home run record which was previously set at seven home runs in 2017.
Game 1:
Site: Harley Park
Score: High Point 19, USC Upstate11
Records: High Point (25-22, 12-4), USC Upstate (29-17, 13-6)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "Obviously a tremendous effort from our club and especially the offense. Record setting day with nine homers but more than that, I felt we were relentless with causing adversity in the box and on the bases from start to finish. So proud of our guys to continue to answer their response.
Adam Grintz was fantastic in relief to close the door on a great win."
Gus Hughes started on the hill for game one of the double header. Hughes got roughed up a bit as the bats were alive for both teams today. Hughes went five innings, allowing eight runs, on nine hits, striking out five batters.
Dalton Olsovsky, and
Adam Grintz came out of the HPU bullpen. Grintz did not allow a single run in three innings of work as he earned his first win of the year.
Upstate jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after a solo shot with two strikes in the bottom of the first.
Cael Chatham took the lead right back in the third as he sent a two-run shot over the right field wall.
Peyton Carr then singled up the middle and
Adam Stuart brought him home on a two-run homer of his own to left center. HPU carried a 4-1 lead into the fourth.
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In the fourth,
Konni Durschlag sent his third homer of the season over the left field wall for a solo shot to extend the Panther lead to 5-1.
The Spartans tagged on two runs in the fourth off two solo home runs. The leadoff hitter, Noah Sullivan tied the game at five after he poked a two-run shot in the fifth to make it a whole new ball game. Troy Hamilton would find a single through the left side bringing home the go-ahead runner for the Spartans.
For the second time this season, the Panthers went back-to-back-to-back, this time with the top of the order. Durschlag smashed the first strike he saw and ended up being a no doubt grand slam for his second long ball of the game. Chatham then took his hack on the first pitch he saw sending it way over the batter's eye in center field for his second homer of the game. Carr joined the party and sent one flying over the left field wall to cap the Panthers six run inning.
Upstate had a big inning of their own as well in the sixth as they strung together a few homers and a double to tie the game at 11.
Leave it to Carr to break it back open as he smashed his second long ball of the afternoon for a two-run shot in the eighth.
Miggy Echazarreta kept it going as he singled to left field with the bases loaded bringing home Stuart. It was now
Brayden Simpson's turn as he sent
Charlie Klingler home on a single up the middle. The runs did not stop there as
Patrick Matthews reached on a fielder's choice up the middle resulting in an out, but
Eric Grintz crossed the plate for the 16th run of the day.
In the top of the ninth, Carr hit his third bomb of the day and third in three at-bats as he sent one down the left field line. Carr has become the first Panther since 2010 to hit three home runs in a single game. Klingler kept the runs flowing as he hit the ninth home run of the day for HPU.
Grintz shut the door on the Spartans in the ninth to close out game one, 19-11, to earn his first win.
Game 2:
Site: Harley Park
Score: High Point 3, USC Upstate 6
Records: High Point (25-23,12-5), USC Upstate (30-17, 14-6)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "We started it off with a couple more homers and held that lead for the majority of the game thanks to
Brett Wozniak. He did a great job of keeping their offense at bay as we tried to make the adjustments that were needed. We just couldn't get a big hit in the middle innings to extend our lead and unfortunately it slipped away. Credit upstate for making the pitches and plays in critical times that we couldn't do at the end of the game. I'm happy that we battled back in the last inning to have the tying run to the plate in the middle of our lineup. We had an unfortunate missed call and bad break that resulted in limiting our rally in the end. We are right where we want to be with everything we want still in front of us and we will prep for the series rubber game on Sunday."
Brett Wozniak started game two as he was able to give the Panthers 5.1 solid innings of work, allowing two runs, on four hits.
Tyler Romanias,
Noah Carter, and
Howell Polk came out of the HPU bullpen.
In the top of the first, with a 2-1 count,
Peyton Carr hit his fourth home run in as many at-bats to open the scoring for High Point. Carr finished game one with three homers in three at-bats and then starts the second game with another home run.
Adam Stuart follows that act with back-to-back homers as he launched one over the left center wall. An early 2-0 lead for High Point in game two.
Both teams put up zeros for the next three innings. It wasn't until the fifth inning that the Spartans got on the board as Jace Rinehart had an RBI single up the middle. In the sixth, the game tying run crossed the plate after a runner attempted to steal second with men on the corners, but
Brayden Simpson tried to back pick the runner at third and overthrew it which brought him home.
USC Upstate put up the go ahead run in the seventh as Grant Sherrod parked one to left center. The Spartans tallied three more insurance runs in the eighth to take a 6-2 lead heading into the ninth.
Stuart grounded into a double play with the bases loaded which brought home another runner to make it a 6-3 game in the ninth.
HPU could not get a two out rally going as Upstate took game two of the double header, 6-3.
Up Next: Game three of the series is on Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m.
#GoHPU
