HPU BASEBALL: Homer-Happy High Point Blasts By Bucs, 9-2

• High Point set a new regular season program record with six home runs in the contest, including a pair from both senior Hunter Lee and redshirt-junior Daniel Millwee.
• Lee and Milwee went back-to-back in the first inning, the first time HPU has hit back-to-back blasts since Feb. 21, 2017. The duo became the first pair to collect multiple homers in the same game since May 27, 2017.
• Sophomore Grey Lyttle was superb out of the bullpen with 4.2 scoreless innings of relief to earn his second victory of the season.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team blasted six home runs on Saturday, setting a new regular season program record en route to a 9-2 thumping of Charleston Southern at CSU Ballpark. For the third straight weekend, HPU has won the first two games of its series and will have a chance to sweep on Sunday.

“Today was a lot of fun to sit back and watch our team from an offensive standpoint,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “Six home runs, two by Hunter Lee and two by Daniel Millwee, is special. When you put up 17 hits and nine runs, you better win the ball game. We’re playing a really good version of baseball right now and we’re once again in position to sweep. We need to find a way to get that done tomorrow.”

High Point (16-14, 8-3) continued its recent power surge with six long balls, one shy of the overall school record set last year vs Winthrop in the Big South Tournament (May 27, 2017). The Panthers now lead the league with 33 home runs and have hit 19 dingers in just 11 conference games. The offensive performance has guided HPU to an 8-3 start in Big South play, matching the 2006 team for the best 11-game conference record in the program’s Div. I history.

The show started early with senior Hunter Lee and redshirt-junior Daniel Millwee going back-to-back with two outs in the top of the first inning, marking the first back-to-back jacks for HPU since Austen Zente and Jordan Sergent accomplished the feat on Feb. 21, 2017 at Davidson.

Neither would be done, though, as Lee clocked a go-ahead solo shot off the right field foul pole to lead off the top of the sixth inning, putting HPU ahead for good at 3-2. The infielder added a a two-out RBI single in the seventh inning to double High Point’s advantage to 4-2. Lee, who extended his hitting streak to 22 games in the process, finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI. It marked the second multi-homer game of his career.

Millwee followed Lee’s hit in the seventh with a no-doubt, two-run shot to left-center for his first career multi-homer game. He was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI and has now hit five home runs this season. The duo is the first with a pair of two-homer games for HPU since Josh Greene and Zack Gray did so against WInthrop in the Big South tournament last year.

The parade continued in the seventh with a single from senior Carson Jackson and a two-out missile to center field from senior Jordan Sergent for his third long ball of the year, pushing the Panthers on top 8-2. For good measure, senior Blake Schunk crushed a solo shot to left leading off the eighth inning for his fourth homer of the year. All four blasts have come in his last five games, including three straight games with one this week.

High Point set a new season-high with 17 hits and had six players with multiple hits in the contest. Jackson was 3-for-5 with a run scored, while Sergent, junior JJ Woodard, and freshman Travis Holt each provided a pair of knocks. All nine starters had at least one hit in the game.

Charleston Southern (11-22, 3-8) had tied the game at two through four innings, but was completely shut down by sophomore reliever Grey Lyttle. Replacing sophomore starter Drew Daczkowski (4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K), with one out and the go-ahead run on in the fifth, Lyttle (2-0) forced a flyout and a stirkeout to keep things tied.

From there, Lyttle was masterful, scattering three hits in his final four innings on the frame. The career-long outing encompassed 4.2 scoreless frames with four scattered hits, two walks and six strikeouts, which tied a career-best.

The Panthers will look to complete the sweep on Sunday afternoon at CSU Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.