CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team dropped its mid-week matchup, 7-4, to UNC Charlotte on Tuesday night.
Site: Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium
Score: High Point 4, Charlotte 7
Records: High Point (33-15) , Charlotte (28-20)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "The scoreboard shows it's a close game. I felt like our bats were competitive, but it's a really good pitching staff over there and they didn't give us anything free. They played really good defense all night and took some hits away from us. I liked our guys' fight, but we just couldn't find the momentum there with some non-competitive at-bats. When you give 13 free bases, it's just non-competitive. It doesn't take any skill on the other side, and they have some, to take a victory away. I'm glad we were still in it there at the end and had some opportunities, but just disappointing in the lack of execution in the strike zone. It wasn't like they got a lot of hits, just a few hits, but we just made it way too easy for them and that's just disappointing."
Brayden Simpson started the scoring for HPU after Panthers starter,
Mateo Wells did his job on the mound through the first two innings. Simpson drove a two-strike, bases clearing double to the gap as both runners on the corners scored for an early 2-0 lead over the 49ers.
Christian Smith extended the lead with a pull side two-run homer for his 13th long ball of the year.
Charlotte worked to score a run in the bottom of the third on two hits to cut into HPU's lead. The 49ers put up a four spot on one hit in the fourth inning to take the lead after a couple free bases allowed for Charlotte to cross home a few times.
HPU went cold at the plate and was unable to answer the 49ers offense as they extended their lead in the fifth and sixth inning to 7-4. That was enough for UNC Charlotte to take a mid-week victory over the Panthers on Tuesday night.
Up Next: High Point will host its final series at Williard Stadium as they welcome Gardner-Webb University for three games starting on Friday, May 9 at 6:00 p.m.
#GoHPU
