RADFORD, Va. – The High Point University baseball team rattled off four runs in the seventh inning to pick up a 10-6 win over Radford on Saturday afternoon in Radford, Va. The win clinches the series for the Panthers who have won each of the first two games.
The Panthers outhit Radford 18-7 in the game. Sophomore Stephen Wytiaz
“This was a great win for us today,” head coach Craig Cozart
Junior John Maloney
Mitchell MacKeith took the loss for the Highlanders. MacKeith pitched 1-1/3 innings and allowed four runs on four hits and a walk.
High Point improves to 17-19 overall and 5-6 in the Big South with the win over Radford which falls to 20-13 overall and 7-4 in conference play.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Medina led off the game with a single and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Spano. Medina moved to second on a swinging bunt by sophomore Dane McDermott
Radford scored once in the bottom of the first and twice in the bottom of second to take a 3-1 lead. The Panthers retook the lead in the top of the third on a three-run double by Wytiaz. High Point loaded the bases with a single by Angelis, a fielder’s choice off the bat of graduate student Adam Barry
The Panthers pushed their lead to two at 5-3, with an RBI single by Barry in the top of the fifth. Spano hit a single up the middle and moved around to third on an Angelis walk and a Retz groundout before scoring on a single up the middle by Barry.
Radford came back to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with two runs to make the score 5-5. The Highlanders got an RBI groundout from Alexander Lee and scored the second run on a double steal with two outs.
The game remained tied at 5-5 until the top of the seventh inning when HPU sent 10 batters to the plate and rattled off four runs to go up 9-5. The Panthers started the inning with three-straight singles off the bats of Spano, Angelis and Retz to score the go-ahead run.
After an intentional walk to freshman Dominic Fazio
High Point tacked on another run in the top of the eighth when Angelis led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch before coming around to score on an RBI single by Retz.
Radford would not go quietly in the ninth, scoring one run and putting two more men on base with one out, but Maloney pitched out of the jam with a flyout to right and a strikeout looking of Lee to secure the 10-6 win.
Redshirt-junior Jaime Schultz
Radford starter Michael Boyle pitched five innings and allowed five runs, two earned, on eight hits and two walks before leaving with a no-decision.
High Point will go for its second weekend sweep of the season on Sunday, April 13, when the Panthers face Radford at 2 p.m., in the third and final game of the series. Redshirt-junior Malcolm Clapsaddle