LYNCHBURG, Va. – The High Point University baseball team fell to Liberty by a score of 4-1 on Sunday afternoon in Lynchburg, Va., to complete a sweep by the Flames for the weekend. Freshman Chris Clare went 2-4 on the day and scored HPU’s only run in the loss.
Freshman Andre Scrubb dropped to 1-4 on the season with the loss. Scrubb pitched five innings and allowed three runs on six hits and four walks while striking out five.
Shawn Clowers earned the win for Liberty after pitching 4-2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Clowers allowed just two HPU base runners during his time on the mound. LU starter Parker Bean pitched 4-1/3 innings and allowed one run on nine hits while striking out one.
High Point drops to 12-11 overall and 2-4 in the Big South with the loss, its fourth in a row. Liberty improves to 18-7 overall and 5-1 in the Big South.
Liberty scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead in the game. The Flames put runners on second and third with one out and scored the first run on a sacrifice fly by Becker Sankey. After a walk by Dalton Britt, LU’s Ryan Seiz scored when HPU tried to throw out Britt stealing second.
The Panthers got a run back in the third inning on an RBI groundout by junior Spencer Angelis to make the score 2-1. Clare and junior Dane McDermott led off the inning with back-to-back singles and were bunted over by junior Tony Fortier-Bensen. Angelis hit a hot shot up the line to third where Liberty’s Dylan Allen backhanded the ball and fired across for the out. Clare score don’t he play to put the Panthers on the board.
Liberty tacked on a single run in the fifth and another in the seventh to open a 4-1 lead. Sankey picked up his second RBI of the day with a two out single in the fifth then Britt drove in a run with a one-out bases-loaded grounder to second.
Angelis, McDermott and senior Kyle Brandenburg all recorded two hits in the game for HPU.
Sankey finished 1-1 with two RBI for the Flames while Nick Lacik went 2-3 with two runs scored.
High Point returns home this week to take on Appalachian State in midweek action on Tuesday, March 25, at 6 p.m.