HPU Baseball Sweeps Longwood With A 4-3 Extra-Inning Win

FARMVILLE, Va. – The High Point University baseball team completed a weekend sweep with a 4-3 win in 10 innings over Longwood on Sunday afternoon in Farmville, Virginia. Junior Spencer Angelis went 3-4 and scored the game-winning run for HPU.

“Today was a grind but it’s never easy to sweep on the road so I am pleased to get the win,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “Andre Scrubb pitched very well and Conor Lourey came in and was lights out once again. Offensively we were able to scrap enough things together to get a run in the 10th. The guys showed a lot of tenacity today, it didn’t come easy but I am proud we were able to get a sweep on the road.”

The Panthers took their first lead in the game in the 10th inning with a sacrifice fly by junior Tony Fortier-Bensen. High Point loaded the bases with one out on three-straight singles by Angelis, junior Josh Spano and redshirt-junior Blake Hutton. Fortier-Bensen fouled off four-straight pitches before lofting a fly ball to center to score Angelis.

The extra-inning win by High Point was its fifth of the season, a new program Div. I single-season win.

Junior Conor Lourey pitched 4-1/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win for High Point, improving to 8-0 on the season. Lourey allowed one hit and one walk while striking out five. Freshman Andre Scrubb started for the Panthers and allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits while striking out three in 5-2/3 innings.

Mitchell Kuebbing took the loss in relief for Longwood, dropping to 1-4 on the season. Kuebbing pitched 6-1/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out four. Longwood starter Travis Burnette pitched 3-2/3 innings and allowed two unearned runs on five hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

High Point improves to 28-19 overall and 15-9 in the Big South with the sweep of Longwood, the Panthers third conference sweep of the season. Longwood falls to 20-31 overall and 8-16 in conference play.

High Point fell behind early as Longwood scored a run in each of the first two innings. The Lancers got a sacrifice fly from Matt Dickason in the first and an RBI single from Mac McCafferty in the second.

The Panthers came back to tie the game in the fourth, scoring two runs in the frame on RBI singles by Spano and senior Kyle Brandenburg. After junior Brady Williamson reached on an error and freshman Josh Greene doubled to start the inning, Spano hit an RBI single just over the leaping Lancer shortstop to drive in the first run. Bensen walked to load the bases with two outs and Brandenburg hit a bloop single into right to drive in Greene and knot the game at 2-2.

Longwood’s Colton Konvicka helped the Lancers retake the lead in the sixth, scoring to put Longwood up 3-2. The Lancer outfielder singled to lead off the inning and advanced twice on fly balls before scoring on an infield single.

High Point tied the game once again in the eighth inning on an RBi single by freshman Brenden Rivera. Angelis hit a one-out double to right-center and came around to score on the pinch-hit single by Rivera.

Spano, Brandenburg and freshman Chris Clare all recorded two hits in the game with Spano and Brandenburg each also notching an RBI.

High Point will play its final non-conference game of the season on Tuesday, May 13, when the team travels to Greenville, North Carolina to take on East Carolina. First pitch in the game is set for 6 p.m.