Retz Home Run Gives HPU Baseball a 3-2 Win Over UNC Asheville in 10 Innings

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Senior Ryan Retz hit a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning to lead the High Point University baseball team to a 3-2 win over UNC Asheville on Sunday afternoon in Asheville, N.C. The win clinches the weekend series for HPU.

“Today was a great example of just figuring out a way to win,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “We struggled in offensive situations for most of the game but Jaime Schultz went out and had a tremendous outing for us. He put us in position to give the ball to Joe Goodman at the end and Retz came through with a solo home run. I love that we are in position to pick up a sweep on the road once again.”

Retz led off the 10th inning for the Panthers and sent the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for his fourth home run of the season and his second in three games. The home run broke a 2-2 tie and put the Panthers ahead for the first time in the contest.

Sophomore Joe Goodman pitched a scoreless ninth to clinch the win, striking out Asheville’s Robert McIntosh for the final out of the game. Goodman earned the win for High Point after pitching 1-2/3 innings of scoreless relief. The sophomore allowed just one hit while striking out three.

Brian Connolly was charged with the loss for UNC Asheville. Connolly allowed one run on one hit and one walk during his two innings of work out of the bullpen.

High Point clinched its second-straight road conference series with the win over the Bulldogs. HPU improves to 21-20 overall and 8-6 in Big South play. UNC Asheville drops to 13-28 overall and 2-12 in conference play after the loss.

Asheville jumped out to the first lead of the game in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI triple by Kyle Towles. The Bulldogs’ Todd Joyner led off the inning with a double and scored when Towles hit a hard grounder through the right side of the HPU infield that deflected off the glove of a diving Dane McDermott and rolled into the right-field corner.

The Panthers tied the game in the top of the fifth inning as senior Devin Bujnovsky scored on a single by sophomore Spencer Angelis. Bujnovsky hit a single up the middle and moved to third on a single by sophomore Josh Spano before coming home on Angelis’ hit. HPU was denied a bigger inning when a ball hit back up the middle by Retz was snared with a diving stop by Asheville shortstop Tommy Houmard who then flipped it to second to start a 6-4-3 double play.

Asheville retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI single by Sam Turner but HPU came right back with a run in the top of the seventh to know the game back up at 2-2. Redshirt-senior Sean Wilson singled with one out then stole second before coming around to score the tying run on an RBI single by Bujnovsky.

Bujnovsky finished the game going 3-5 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Both Spano and McDermott also recorded three hits on the day for the Panthers.

Redshirt-junior Jaime Schultz was impressive on the mound in his third start of the season. The right hander pitched 8-1/3 innings and allowed just two runs on seven hits and two walks. Schultz also struck out a season-high seven batters in the game.

Dean Roland turned in a strong start for Asheville, pitching seven innings and allowing just two runs on 10 hits and two walks.

High Point will try and complete its second-straight road sweep with a win over UNC Asheville on Monday, April 22, at 1 p.m. Redshirt-junior Malcolm Clapsaddle will start on the mound for HPU as it attempts to earn its first series sweep over the Bulldogs since 2010.