Early HPU Baseball Lead Diminishes In Loss At UNCG

GREENSBORO, N.C. – After grabbing an early lead, a few late-inning rallies from host UNCG dealt High Point University baseball an 11-3 loss this Wednesday. Despite eight Panthers reaching first safely against the Spartans, HPU was able to plate just three of their potential runs on UNCG, stranding seven on the afternoon.

The Panthers were the first to strike, collecting scoring a pair in the opening frame. Starting center fielder Ryan Russell got things started with a leadoff double, before coming in on a UNCG defensive error later in the inning. Getting all the way to scoring position on the Spartan mistake, designated hitter Joe Johnson crossed home on an RBI single from JJ Woodard, as Johnson has now scored in each of the Panthers’ previous six matchups.

With starting pitcher Andrew Gottfried holding the home side scoreless, HPU was able to increase its lead to three in the top half of the third. Johnson extended his current hitting streak to six with a single back to the mound, before Daniel Millwee brought him home on his own single in the ensuing at bat. Millwee’s knock extended his on base streak to 14 straight, and gives the senior his eighth RBI of the last four contests.

On the mound, Gottfried continued to blank UNCG until the fifth, where the Spartans scored their first run of the night, unearned. The home team went on to add another in the bottom of the sixth, but were able to collect just five hits through the opening two-thirds of the night’s matchup. Gottfried finished his night on the bump with five strikeouts and a single walk, while the Spartans’ sixth-inning run would be the only one credited to the senior’s name.

The following two innings would belong solely to UNCG however, hanging five runs in the seventh and another four in the eighth. With the Spartans’ collecting seven of their 12 hits in that span alone, the visiting Panthers were unable to surmount a ninth inning comeback on the evening, falling by a final score of 11-3.

>> Batting two through four in the lineup, Travis Holt, Joe Johnson and Daniel Millwee extended their current hitting streaks to four, six and five respectively
>> Both Millwee and Holt have touched first safely in their past 14 appearances, while the former holds an OBP of .417 over that span
>> Russell and freshman Evan Bergman each collected a pair of knocks on Wednesday night, with the former tallying his team’s lone double of the contest
>> The first six spots in the lineup each recorded a hit against the Spartans