HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team took game one of the series, 15-3, over UNC Asheville on Thursday night.
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 15, Asheville 3
Records: High Point (27-11, 11-2), Asheville (11-24, 4-9)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "Great way to start the weekend. I thought our pitchers were fantastic all day long.
Dalton Hitt,
Howell Polk,
Landon Castor, and
Mac Kimel all did a fantastic job. We hit the first batter of the game, and then from that moment we didn't give a single free base away which is incredible. We limited them to just a handful of hits and two earned runs. Really proud of them, a stellar performance. Our offense did a great job of stacking a couple of big, crooked number innings. Homers are important, but it felt like we had some really good at-bats in there as well. We moved the ball quite a bit and was really proud of our performance just from start to finish. We know what is ahead of us the rest of the weekend. Got a chance to win a series tomorrow and see a good arm. We're going to have a plan together and hopefully get out there and it'll be a fun day."
The Bulldogs jumped to a 2-0 lead with a two-run home run in the top of first off HPU starter,
Dalton Hitt. The Panthers answered as
Landen Johnson smoked a backside line drive home run to cut into the deficit early in the ball game.
High Point put up a six run second inning on six hits to spread the lead open.
Christian Smith poked an opposite field two-run home run, before
Miggy Echazarreta knocked down a two-run double and Johnson added another RBI to his line with a SAC fly to right field to cap the inning.
After a leadoff triple by Smith,
Three Hillier brought him home on a ground out to shortstop to increase the High Point lead.
Ashville added another run in the fourth inning with a perfectly placed hard hit single through the shift to score the runner from second.
After Hitt held the Bulldogs scoreless in the top of the fifth, Smith broke the silence with a towering homer to right center for his third hit in as many at-bats and second long ball of the night.
High Point plated five more runs in the bottom of the seventh after
Konni Durschlag went oppo and smoked a three-run home run after Hillier and Kohler each drove in a run.
Howell Polk completed 2.1 stellar innings of scoreless work before
Landon Castor threw an inning to keep the Bulldogs off the board. With two on and two out in the eighth,
Frank Kelly singled through the left side to score
Brayden Simpson to add an insurance run.
Castor and
Mac Kimel split duties in the ninth to close out the game to hand HPU the series opening 15-3 victory on Thursday night. Hitt earned the win after completing five innings, allowing three runs, on three hits, to improve his record to 3-1.
Up Next: High Point and Asheville will play game two tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m.
