High Point University Baseball’s Travis Holt Extends Hitting Streak to Five in Loss to Hoosiers

Site: Greenville, N.C. (Clark-LeClair Stadium)
Score: Indiana 5, High Point 1
W: Tommy Sommer (2-1), L: Trent Harris (0-1), S: Connor Manous (2)
Records: IU 6-2, HPU 5-6
Next HPU Event: Sunday, March 1 — at East Carolina (Keith LeClair Classic, Greenville, N.C.), 3:30 p.m.

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team couldn’t get the bats going in a 5-1 loss to Indiana University in game two of the Keith LeClair Classic on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 29). HPU mustered only five hits and scored a single run despite the Hoosiers committing three errors and walking three batters.

High Point gave up a run in the first inning for the third game in a row, allowing Indiana to score with two outs in the inning. Sophomore Trent Harris was able to get out of the jam allowing just the one run, stranding runners on the corners. Harris was able to keep the Hoosiers scoreless in the second and third, striking out two in the bottom half of the second.

The Panthers’ first hit of the game came in the third off the bat of Travis Holt, who singled to right to extend his hitting streak to five games. It’s his second five-game hitting streak of the season as he’s recorded a hit in every game except for game one of the doubleheader with Towson on Feb. 22.

The Hoosiers led off the fourth with a double to left-center and moved the runner to third on a sacrifice bunt. A one-out single scored the runner to give IU a 2-0 lead, but the Panthers retired the next two batters to minimize the damage. Harris’s day was finished after his best inning of work in the fifth, when he put the heart of the Hoosiers’ lineup down in order. He allowed two runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts in the five innings, throwing 89 pitches.

High Point scored its lone run of the game in the sixth, started by Holt drawing a four-pitch walk. Joe Johnson advanced him to third on a single to right, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Cole Singsank was up next and brought home Holt to cut the deficit in half. Every Panther was safe on the play, reaching on a fielder’s choice, but the inning was ended shortly thereafter by a double play and a line out to second.

Indiana put the game out of reach in the seventh with three runs, taking advantage of the bases being loaded. The Panthers loaded the bases themselves in the top of the ninth, looking to gain some ground and force IU to hit in the ninth. Sam Zayicek doubled down the line in right and moved to third when Adam Stuart hit one to second and the second baseman bobbled it to put runners on the corners. Evan Bergman drew a two-out walk to load them for Holt but a strikeout ended things for the Purple and White.

HPU wraps up action at the Keith LeClair Classic tomorrow (March 1) as the Panthers take on host East Carolina at 3:30 p.m. The Panthers return home to Williard Stadium on Tuesday (March 3) to play host to Virginia Tech, kicking off an eight-game homestand.