Eight-Run Fourth Works Wonders in HPU Baseball’s 8-4 Win Over Wake

• HPU tied a season high with eight runs in a single inning, plating eight in the fourth inning en route to an 8-4 win.
• The Panthers have now defeated Wake Forest in four of the last five seasons and earned their first home win over the Deacs since 2015.
• Sophomore Muhammed Eid collected his second win of the year, allowing only two runs on five hits in five innings of work.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – An eight-run explosion in the fourth inning lifted the High Point University baseball team to an 8-4 win over visiting Wake Forest on Tuesday night at Williard Stadium. HPU has now earned at least one win over Power 5 competition in five straight seasons.

“It’s nice to get a win coming on the tail end of exam week,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “Sometimes, you don’t know what you’re going to get from the guys in that situation. Muhammed Eid gave us a heck of a start, we played errorless ball, and we took advantage of one big inning and made it last. Anytime you get a win against Wake Forest, you have to feel good about it.”

High Point (23-18) scored all eight of its runs in the home half of the fourth inning, sending a season-high 13 batters to the dish. With two on and one down, senior Jordan Sergent and junior JJ Woodard provided RBI singles to gave HPU a 2-1 edge. Sergent’s single in a pinch-hit appearance extended his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games.

Two batters later, junior Conner Dunbar walked with the bags packed before senior Austen Zente was plunked to force in another run. Zente’s painful plate appearance gave him 52 career hit by pitches, a new school record.

Freshman Travis Holt continued the rally with a two-run single to put the Panthers in front 6-1. A wild pitch scored the seventh run before Holt came home on a sacrifice fly from redshirt-junior Daniel Millwee to cap the outburst at 8-1.

The eight-run frame tied the largest of the season for High Point, matching the snowman put up in the eighth inning of a 10-2 win at Longwood on March 18.

Meanwhile, Wake Forest (20-26) was held at bay by sophomore Muhammed Eid on the hill for HPU. Eid (2-0) worked in and out of trouble in his five innings of work, scattering five hits and three walks while only allowing two runs. The righthander stranded at least one runner in each inning on the hill, including five in scoring position.

The missed opportunities were the theme of the night for Wake Forest as Panther pitchers were able to evade danger for the most part and strand 13 Deacs on the basepaths, including nine in scoring position. Sophomore Grey Lyttle tossed a scoreless sixth inning before Wake clawed back into the contest with a two-run, two-out single in the seventh, making it 8-4. Redshirt-junior Jonny Vizcaino avoided further damage with a strikeout before tossing a scoreless eighth. Senior Rion Murrah put a bow on the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Offensively, the Panthers mustered seven hits and took advantage of nine walks and two hit batsmen. Holt and Woodard collected two hits each while senior Hunter Lee extended his on-base streak to 32 games with a 1-for-3 showing.

HPU now hits the road for its next eight games, beginning with a pivotal three-game Big South series at first-place Campbell this weekend. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN3.