HIGH POINT, N.C. - The High Point University baseball team swept the University of Maine Black Bears during Saturday's doubleheader winning game one, 14-8, and game two, 6-3 at Williard Stadium.
Game 1:
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 14, Maine 8
Records: High Point (3-3), Maine (2-4)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "It was a long day, but good to come away with two wins. It's not easy to do, and so proud of our guys fighting through it. In game one, Ty [Brachbill] had a start he didn't want with four runs in the first inning. But to have 34 pitches in the first inning and make it to the seventh is a remarkable job, credit to him. I can't say enough good things about him giving us an opportunity, stacking zero's. And then Justin [Silverstein] coming in, I'm proud of him getting those last eight outs. I felt like it was probably as good a game as we've had offensively in terms of stacking at-bats and making quality plate appearances."
Maine jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first, but High Point University answered immediately.
Christian Smith cut the deficit in half with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning, and the Panthers kept pressure on throughout the early frames.
High Point took its first lead in the second inning, scoring three runs on RBI singles from
Lane Allen and Smith, along with an aggressive base running score by
Landen Johnson. The Panthers added three more runs in the third, highlighted by
Jake McCarter's solo home run and an RBI bunt single from
Willie Ponce, pushing the advantage to 8-5.
The Panthers continued to build separation in the middle innings.
Seojun Oh doubled and later scored in the fourth, while High Point plated one run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 10-5. A four-run seventh inning put the game out of reach, as Allen delivered an RBI triple and McCarter followed with a two-run homer, his second of the game.
High Point finished with 17 hits, including three-hit performances from Allen and McCarter. Smith drove in three runs, while Allen also tallied two RBIs and scored twice.
Ty Brachbill earned the win on the mound, working 6.1 innings and allowing five runs on six hits.
Justin Silverstein closed out the game, striking out four over the final 2.2 innings.
Game 2:
Site: Williard Stadium
Score: High Point 6, Maine 3
Records: High Point (4-3), Maine (2-5)
Head Coach Joey Hammond: "Credit to Maine for jumping out early again in game two. I thought Mateo [Wells] did a good job of pounding the zone. I'm proud of our guys for hanging in there. It's a long day and it's easy to just go through the motions. We had a spark plug at the very beginning with E'mar [Fleming II] hitting his first home run, can't sy enough good things about that. It's a big moment for him and our club. Credit to Jake [McCarter] for hanging in there after fouling a ball off his foot and then to get a base hit. Then E'mar wins the game with a three-run home run. Teams that can score three runs when there's two outs and nobody on is great. Credit to Dylan [Story] coming in and slamming the door. Mark [Salicco], and Jack [Carey] were great for us and so proud of our pitchers all day long. We're definitely heading in the right direction from an offensive standpoint."
Maine scored three runs in the top of the second inning, but High Point settled in defensively and allowed just three hits over the final seven innings.
The Panthers got on the board in the fourth inning when E'mar Fleming II connected on his first collegiate home run to right field, cutting the deficit to 3-1. High Point added another run in the fifth as
Willie Ponce walked, advanced on an error, and scored on an RBI fielder's choice from
Christian Smith to make it a one-run game.
High Point took control in the seventh inning when
Jake McCarter singled to left, and Fleming followed with his second homer of the day. A three-run home run to right field gave the Panthers a 5-3 lead.
The Panthers added an insurance run in the eighth inning as
Frank Kelly walked,
Willie Ponce was hit by a pitch, and
Lane Allen delivered an RBI single up the middle to extend the lead to 6-3.
Mateo Wells worked five innings in his start, striking out five.
Jack Carey and
Mark Salicco combined for two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and
Dylan Story closed the game with two shutout innings to earn his second save of the season.
Fleming finished with four RBIs on two home runs, while Allen went 2-for-5 with an RBI. High Point drew eight walks and played error-free defense.
Up Next: High Point returns for the final game of the series tomorrow, February 22 at 1:00 p.m. at Williard Stadium.
#GoHPU
