HPU Baseball Falls At Home to Appalachian State, 4-0

• High Point fell to Appalachian State by a score of 4-0 on Tuesday at Williard Stadium.
• Senior Spencer Angelis, Cody Manzella and Tony Fortier-Bensen and sophomore Josh Greene all recorded hits for the Panthers.
• Redshirt-junior Jace Herrera pitched 3-2/3 innings and allowed three runs, one earned, in his first HPU start.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team lost to Appalachian State by a score of 4-0 on Tuesday evening at Williard Stadium. Four players recorded a hit in the contest for the Panthers.

“The game of baseball will humble you sometimes,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “We are going through a really difficult stretch right now. That being said, we have a veteran crew. These guys will keep working and figure out a way to start winning baseball games.”

Redshirt-junior Jace Herrera took the loss in his first HPU start. Herrera pitched 3-2/3 innings and allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits and three walks while striking out two.

Taylor Thurber earned the win for the Mountaineers after pitching six shutout innings. Thurber allowed just four hits while picking up two strikeouts.

High Point drops to 2-7 with the loss. Appalachian State moves back to .500 at 5-5 with the win.

The Mountaineers took advantage of two High Point errors to take a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Brandon Burris scored the first run on a sacrifice fly by Dillon Dobson right after an error by senior Tony Fortier-Bensen on a one-out grounder up the middle. Michael Pierson then scored on a dropped fly ball by senior Dane McDermott to double the ASU lead.

One inning later, Appalachian State added a third run on a bases-loaded walk by Jaylin Davis. The Mountaineers loaded the bases with a two singles and a walk leading to an HPU pitching change. Junior Michael Hennessey relieved Herrera but walked Davis to force in a run.

The Mountaineers added one final run in the seventh with a sacrifice fly by Zach Hummel that scored Grayson Atwood.

Fortier-Bensen, seniors Spencer Angelis and Cody Manzella and sophomore Josh Greene all recorded hits for High Point in the loss.

Burris went 4-5 from the leadoff position for Appalachian State while Pierson worked a walk in each of his first three at bats. Hummel went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

High Point returns to the road on Wednesday, March 4, when the team travels to Columbia, S.C., to play the nationally-ranked Gamecocks of the University of South Carolina. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.