• High Point picked up its fifth-straight win with a dramatic ninth-inning walk-off victory over Dayton.
• Sophomore Hunter Lee delivered the game-winning hit with the bases loaded, his fourth hit of the game.
• Senior Tyler Britton improved to 2-0 with the win on the mound for the Panthers.
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Sophomore Hunter Lee hit a bases-loaded infield single in the bottom of the ninth inning as the High Point University baseball team walked off with a 10-9 win over Dayton on Friday at Williard Stadium.
“We had a ton of adversity tonight, but this team showed toughness,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “A trait of a team that you are always looking for is figuring out a way to win ballgames and that is what we did tonight. Hunter Lee was absolutly huge at the top of the lineup for us yet again and we got contirbutions from up and down the order. We just got to keep figuring out ways to win.”
After Dayton tied the game with a two-run home run in the top of the ninth by Robbie Doring, High Point loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame on a single by sophomore Austen Zente and intentional walks to juniors Nick Capra and Drew Fopeano. The Panthers forced the intentional walks first with a sacrifice bunt by junior Luke Parker and then with a double steal by Zente and Capra.
Lee came to the plate with the bases full and worked the count to 1-2 before hitting a slow roller between the pitcher and the shortstop. The Flyers’ Nick Weybright charged the ball and tried to make a play at home, but Zente slid in ahead of the throw for the win. The hit was Lee’s fourth of the night.
Senior Tyler Britton improved to 2-0 on the season for High Point after pitching five innings of relief and allowing three earned runs on seven hits and walk. He matched his career high with six strikeouts in the contest.
Kevin Piersol took the loss for Dayton, dropping to 0-1 in 2016. Piersol gave up one earned run on three hits and two intentional walks over three innings of relief work.
The win was the fifth in the row for the Panthers who improve to 6-3 on the season. It’s the first time that HPU has won five straight since 2014 when the team swept UNC Asheville in the final weekend series of the regular season then won the first two games of the Big South Tournament against Radford and Liberty. Dayton falls to 0-7 with the loss.
High Point jumped out in front with a five-run third inning as four different Panthers picked up RBI in the frame. Lee opened the scoring with an RBI single to score Capra then after a walk to junior Chris Clare, junior Josh Greene picked up two RBI with a bases-loaded single to center. Seniors Dominic Fazio and Tim Mansfield also had RBI singles in the inning for HPU.
The Flyers answered back with a six-run fifth to go ahead, 6-5. Five consecutive Dayton batters reached to start the frame, including Mitch Coughlin, Weybright and Doring who all had RBI singles. Britton came into the game in relief of redshirt-senior Scot Hoffman and got a pop up on a bunt attempt for the first out, but then Glenn Jones and Nick Gobert hit back-to-back singles to score the tying and go-ahead runs.
The UD lead didn’t last long as the Panthers scored twice in the bottom of the frame and two more in the following inning to go back ahead, 9-6. Fazio scored the tying run on a wild pitch after reaching on an error to start the fifth. SophomoreCarson Jackson
Dayton scored three times in the final to innings to tie the game at 9-9, scoring a run in the eighth on an RBI double by Sam Suterik before tying the game one-inning later on the Doring home run.
Lee finished 4-6 at the plate with two RBI, two runs and double and stolen base. He was one of five different HPU batters to record multiple hits in the contest. Greene went 2-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, Jackson finished 2-5 with two RBI and a run scored, Mansfield went 2-2 with and RBI and Capra finished 2-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored. Every HPU hitter who came to the plate reached base at least once in the game.
High Point will go for its third-straight series win when the Panthers and Flyers meet at Williard Stadium for the second game of the weekend on Saturday, March 5. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.