HPU Baseball Loses At Wake Forest By A Score Of 10-6

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team fell on the road to Wake Forest by a score of 10-6 on Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C. Freshman Josh Greene provided the big hit for the Panthers for the second night in a row with a grand slam in the second.

“We needed to go out there and throw strikes tonight and we didn’t do that,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “We put too many guys on base and when you do that eventually they will break through and score some runs. We were good offensively for two innings, but then we shut it down. I don’t want to take anything away from Wake Forest, but they didn’t do anything to win the game other than capitalize on our mistakes.”

Junior Jordan Skavinsky took the loss on the mound to drop to 0-1 on the season. Skavinsky allowed two runs on one hit and three walks in 2-2/3 innings pitched. Junior Will Resnik started the game for HPU and lasted two innings, surrendering five earned runs on four hits and six walks.

Parker Dunshee earned the win to improve to 1-1 on the season. Dunshee pitched two scoreless inning of relief and allowed two hits while striking out one. WFU starter Matt Pirro pitched three innings and surrendered five earned runs on seven hits while striking out six.

High Point drops to 15-13 with the loss while Wake Forest improves to 20-11.

Doubles by juniors Dane McDermott and Spencer Angelis put the Panthers on the board in the top of the first inning as McDermott led off with a double down the right field line and came in to score on a two-out double off the wall in center by Angelis.

The Demon Deacons came right back in the bottom of the inning and took a 3-1 lead on a home run off the bat of Will Craig. Wake’s first two batters reached on walks ahead of Craig who hit a 0-2 pitch over the wall in left-center.

High Point retook the lead in the top of the second on the grand slam off the bat of Greene. HPU loaded the bases with three-straight singles by junior Tony Fortier-Bensen, freshman Chris Clare and McDermott. Greene stepped to the plate with two outs and went the other way with a 1-1 pitch, sending it over the wall in left to put the Panthers in front 5-3.

Greene finished the game hitting 2-5 with four RBI and a run scored. The freshman went 3-9 in the two games against Wake with a triple, a home run, five RBI and two runs scored.

Wake Forest loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning and tied the game, scoring two runs on a sacrifice fly to center by Craig and a bases-loaded walk.

McDermott put High Point back in front in the fourth inning. The junior hit an infield single to short and took two bases on a throwing error, giving the Panthers a runner at third with one out. Senior Kyle Brandenburg followed with a hard grounder to second to drive in McDermott, making the score 6-5.

Wake Forest scored twice in the seventh on a bases-loaded hit batter and a wild pitch to go ahead 7-6. The Demon Deacons then added three runs in the eighth on an RBI double by Ben Breazeale and a two-run home run by Nate Mondou.

McDermott went 3-5 in the leadoff spot for the Panthers, scoring three of High Point’s six runs in the game. Angelis also finished with multiple hits, going 2-5 at the plate with an RBI.

Craig finished 2-3 at the plate with four RBI and a run scored and Wake Forest leadoff man Evan Stephens went 3-5 with two runs scored.

High Point returns to conference play this weekend with a three-game road series at Charleston Southern. HPU will try and claim its third conference series of the season and its second on the road. The series begins on Friday, April 4, at 6 p.m.