HPU baseball’s bats stymied in 5-1 loss to Dayton

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• High Point saw its six-game win streak come to an end with a 5-1 loss to Dayton on Sunday.
• Freshman Andrew Gottfried took the loss for HPU after giving up three runs, one earned, in five innings.
• Sophomore Austen Zente had two hits and scored the Panthers’ only run.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team fell to Dayton by a score of 5-1 in the series finale on Sunday at Williard Stadium. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Panthers.

“We were on a nice stretch where we were playing some really good baseball and today we played about as bad as you can,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “It’s a shame to end a win streak playing the game the way we did. We got five more games this week so we need to clear our minds and get ready for Tuesday.”

Freshman Andrew Gottfried took the loss in his first college start, dropping to 1-1 on the season. Gottfried pitched five innings and allowed three runs, one earned, on seven hits and a walk while striking out three.

Sam Brunner improved to 1-2 on the season with the win for the Flyers. Brunner pitched seven shutout innings and allowed just three hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

The loss drops High Point to 7-4 on the season. Dayton improves to 1-8 in 2016.

The Flyers took advantage of some early Panther miscues on defense, scoring unearned runs in the second and third innings to go ahead 2-0. Pat Meehan had an RBI single with two outs in the second inning and Nick Gobert hit a two-out RBI single the following inning.

Dayton continued to extend its lead with an RBI single by Aaron Huesman in the fifth and a two-run home run by Robbie Doring, his second of the weekend, in the sixth.

The Panthers finally got on the board in the ninth inning when sophomore Austen Zente singled with two outs, stole second and came home on an RBI single by freshman Conner Dunbar.

Zente finished 2-4 and stole two bases for High Point in the loss. Senior Tim Mansfield reached base four times on the day, going 1-1 with a triple and three walks.

HPU had six errors on the day, tying the program’s Div. I single-game record. The team also turned four double plays in the game which was one off the single-game mark.

The Panthers are back at it this week with a midweek series against La Salle starting on Tuesday, March 8, at Williard Stadium. First pitch against the Explorers is set for 4 p.m.