HIGH POINT, N.C. – Senior Ryan Retz turned in his second complete-game shutout of the season as the High Point University baseball team rolled to a 7-0 win over North Carolina Central on Wednesday night at Williard Stadium. Retz and graduate student Adam Barry got HPU off to a quick start with back-to-back home runs in the first.
“Obviously this was a great all-around performance by the team tonight,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “Willie Medina got us going and the back-to-back home runs by Ryan Retz and Adam Barry really took the wind out of Central’s sails. Truthfully Retz was a one-man wrecking crew tonight. He put us in a great position and the guys played well behind him. This was a real solid performance and the type of game we wanted heading into the weekend.”
Retz went the distance for High Point, allowing just five hits and no runs in his second complete game of the season. He struck out five batters in the game while walking just one to improve to 4-2 on the season. The senior also finished 2-4 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored.
High Point scored four times in the bottom of the first inning, including three on the back-to-back shots by Retz and Barry, to take an early 4-0 lead. Senior Willie Medina led off the game with a triple to the left field wall and scored on a fly ball to center by redshirt-senior Sean Wilson. Angelis hit HPU’s second triple of the inning with a two-out shot to the right-center gap.
Retz followed Angelis with a hard shot over the left field wall for his third home run of the season. Barry then connected with a shot off the scoreboard in right for his second home run of the season, making the score 4-0. The back-to-back home runs by High Point were the first for the Panthers since May 8, 2011, against Charleston Southern at Williard Stadium.
High Point increased its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the second inning as Medina singled and moved to second on a throwing error then scored on a hit-and-run as Wilson hit a single through the right side.
In the bottom of the fifth, Retz picked up his third RBI of the night with a double down the left-field line which scored Wilson from second. Wilson walked and moved to second on an Angelis single before coming home on the Retz double.
The Panthers would chip on one final run in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Cody Manzella to bring the score to 7-0.
Medina went 2-3 in the game and scored two runs for the Panthers in the win. Angelis also finished with two hits in the game, going 2-4 with a triple and a run scored.
Jordan Quinn suffered the loss for NC Central. The junior left hander entered the game with a 1.86 ERA but surrendered six runs, five earned on eight hits and walk over five innings of work.
High Point improves to 19-20 on the season with the win over the Eagles. North Carolina Central falls to 23-18 after the loss.
The Panthers return to conference play this weekend as they travel to Asheville, N.C., to play a three-game weekend series against the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville. The series will begin on Friday, April 19, at 3 p.m. Last season, HPU was swept by Asheville at home during the regular season but got a measure of revenge in the Big South Championship with a win over the Bulldogs in an elimination game.