HPU baseball claims series win over Maryland with 7-6 victory

• High Point secured a series win over Maryland with a 7-6 victory over the Terps on Friday at Williard Stadium.
• The Panthers built a 7-2 lead and held off a late Maryland charge to get the win.
• Junior Carson Jackson finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-4 with a walk and his eighth home run of the season.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team picked up a series win over Maryland with a 7-6 win on Friday night at Williard Stadium. Junior Carson Jackson finished a triple short of the cycle in the contest, going 3-4 on the night.

“This team is playing with a lot of toughness right now,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “I was really excited about our seventh inning offensively. Those runs were huge when it came to getting us some separation that we ended up needing. Nick Niarchos came off the bench and got the game-winning RBI after not having an at-bat in probably six weeks and Josh Greene made probably the best catch you will see on a college baseball field. I am very proud of our effort so far this weekend.”

Freshman Drew Daczkowski improved to 6-4 on the mound in his first collegiate season with the win over the Terps. The right-hander pitched three innings without allowing a hit or a walk while also striking out two.

Tyler Blohm was charged with the loss and dropped to 8-6 on the season. Blohm pitched four innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits and a walk.

High Point improves to 29-20 overall on the season with the win while Maryland drops to 33-19. The series win is the Panthers second over UMD in as many seasons. HPU is now one win shy of its second-straight 30-win season and its fourth since joining Div. I in 2000.

The Panthers scored a run in each of the first three innings to take an early 3-0 lead. Senior Josh Greene drove in the first with an RBI groundout and the second was scored when junior Hunter Lee came home on a wild pitch. Jackson then extended the lead to three in the third with a solo home run to left-center, his eighth home run of the season.

After Maryland pulled within one thanks to runs in the fourth and fifth, High Point came back with a run in the sixth on an infield single by junior Austen Zente and three in the seventh to extend the lead to five at 7-2. Sophomore JJ Woodard drove in the first run of the seventh for HPU with a single to score Greene. A sacrifice bunt by junior Jordan Sergent scored freshman Cody Oerther then sophomore Nick Niarchos drove in Woodard with an RBI single for what proved to be the eventual winning run.

Maryland refused to go away, scoring three runs in the eighth and putting the tying run on base in the ninth but Greene made a spectacular diving grab on a line drive for the second out then sophomore Matt Hodges got a strikeout to end the threat and secure the win.

Three Panther players recorded multiple hits in the contest, led by Jackson’s 3-4 effort. Zente went 2-5 at the top of the HPU order and Woodard finished 2-4 while also reaching on an error. Lee went 1-3 with a triple and a walk and also scored two runs in the win.

High Point wraps up the regular season with the third and final game in its series against Maryland on Saturday, May 20, at Williard Stadium. The Panthers can secure a 30-win season and their second series sweep of the season with a win over the Terps. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.