WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The High Point University baseball team came up just short Tuesday night, falling 7-6 to No. 22 Wake Forest University.
Site: David F. Couch Ballpark
Score: High Point 6, Wake Forest 7
Records: High Point (2-2), Wake Forest (3-1)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "We came here to win, our guys know that. With some disappointment, there is a lot of positives. We had maybe 5-6 guys who hadn't pitched at all and they got their feet wet out there in a pretty hectic environment. In order to go toe-to-toe with a team like Wake we needed to settle down after those first two innings. I think we won the game in the last seven innings. We were just a little out of sorts to begin the game and Jake [McCarter's] home run obviously relaxed us and we played well moving forward. I'm proud of our guys for playing the way they did. I felt like we were better with two strikes, having maybe 30 at-bats with two strikes. That's real stuff on the mound and I thought we battled really well and gave ourselves a shot at the end."
Wake Forest scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, but High Point responded in the second as
Christian Smith doubled to left and later scored on an RBI groundout from
Jake McCarter to cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Panthers closed the gap in the fourth inning with a three-run frame. After
Lane Allen was hit by a pitch, Smith drove in a run with a double to left-center before McCarter followed with a two-run home run to center field, pulling High Point within one at 5-4.
High Point tied the game in the sixth inning as
Nicolas Lembo walked, advanced on an error, and scored on an RBI single from
Seojun Oh to make it 5-5. Wake Forest regained the lead later in the inning with two runs to go back in front, 7-5.
The Panthers made one final push in the ninth.
Jace Kohler walked and eventually scored on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Lembo, trimming the deficit to 7-6, but Wake Forest closed out the game to secure the win.
Smith finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored, while McCarter drove in three runs with his fourth-inning home run. Oh added an RBI single, and High Point drew seven walks on the afternoon.
Mark Salicco and
Jack Carey combined to throw three scoreless innings in relief, allowing no hits while striking out six.
Up Next: High Point will host University of Maine for a four-game series starting on Friday, February 20 at 4:00 p.m.
#GoHPU
