HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team picked up a 4-2 win over Marist to even the series at a game apiece on Saturday at Williard Stadium. Sophomore Hunter Lee reached base five times on the day with two hits and three walks.
“This was a much better brand of baseball today,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “It all started on the mound. Andre Scrubb had a good start and Tyler Britton was tremendous out of the bullpen. We also made some special plays defensively. The good news on offense is we are getting guys on base and we are going to start driving them in in bunches. Once that happens we will be clicking on all cylinders. Hopefully that is tomorrow and we figure out a way to win the series.”
Junior Andre Scrubb picked up the win for the Panthers, moving to 1-1 on the season. Scrubb pitched five innings and allowed just two earned runs on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. Senior Tyler Britton pitched the final four innings for his first save of the season. He gave up just one hit and one walk and struck out two.
Charlie Jerla took the loss for Marist and dropped to 0-2 on the season. Jerla allowed three earned runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out two.
High Point improves to 2-3 for the season while Marist drops to 2-3 as well.
The Panthers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead for the second-straight day, scoring once in the first and twice in the third. Lee led off the game with a single and stole second before scoring the first run of the day on an RBI single by senior Dominic Fazio. Two innings later, juniors Luke Parker and Nick Capra hit back-to-back RBI singles to drive in Fazio and sophomore Carson Jackson.
Marist touched up Scrubb in the next half inning, stringing together a single and two doubles to pull within one at 3-2. Matt Pagano hit a one-out single for the Red Foxes’ first hit of the day and Frank Gregoire and Joey Aiola followed with back-to-back doubles.
The Foxes threatened to take the lead in the following inning, loading the bases on two singles and walk, but Scrubb struck out Gregoire looking to escape the jam. It was the seventh strikeout of the day for the junior in five innings of work.
High Point added an insurance run in the seventh to go ahead 4-2 as Lee reached base for the fifth time in the game with a single and came around to score from first on a double into the left field corner by junior Chris Clare.
Eight different HPU batters recorded at least one hit on the day led by Clare who finished 3-5 with a double, an RBI and two stolen bases. Lee finished 2-2 with three walks, two runs and a stolen base and Fazio went 2-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
High Point and Marist will face off in the rubber game of their three-game weekend series at Williard Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 1 p.m. The Panthers can claim their first series win of 2016 with a victory over Marist.