HPU baseball earns 5-1 win over La Salle to open two-game set

HPU baseball earns 5-1 win over La Salle to open two-game set

• High Point picked up a 5-1 win over La Salle on Tuesday in the first of two games against the Explorers.
• Freshman Cooper Jeffers gave up just one unearned run in 5-1/3 innings to earn his first HPU win.
• The Panthers stole five bases in the game, giving them 29 through the first 12 games this season.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team opened its two-game series against La Salle with a 5-1 win over the Explorers on Tuesday at Williard Stadium. Freshman Cooper Jeffers earned his first college win with 5-1/3 innings of work.

“This was a solid all-around win,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “We swung the bats better than what the scoreboard showed and were really good on the mound. Cooper Jeffers, Tyler Britton and Joe Goodman did what we needed in a midweek game to give us security. We need to make sure we repeat this performance tomorrow.”

Jeffers allowed just one unearned run on six hits and two walks in his 5-1/3 innings while striking out four batters. He has allowed just one earned run in 11-1/3 innings on the mound in 2016.

Jordan Meyer took the loss for La Salle, falling to 0-1 in three appearances this season. Meyer pitched five innings and allowed five runs, four earned, on four hits and three walks with one strikeout.

High Point improves to 8-4 on the season with the win while the Explorers drop to 1-10 in 2016.

The Panthers jumped on La Salle early with four runs in the first two innings. Senior Dominic Fazio drove in one run in the first with an RBI single, scoring junior Chris Clare. In the following inning, High Point loaded the bases for junior Nick Capra who drove in two with a ground ball up the middle that was mishandled by the Explorers’ shortstop. After a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Spencer Brown, sophomore Hunter Lee drove in the third run of the frame with a sacrifice fly to score junior Luke Parker.

High Point added another run to its lead in the fourth inning on another sacrifice fly, this time by junior Josh Greene to score Lee. The HPU second baseman singled to lead off the inning then advanced to third when Meyer threw a wild pitch while Lee was stealing second. Greene came up with one out and hit a long fly ball to straightaway center that was caught on the warning track for the sacrifice.

La Salle came out in the next half inning and loaded the bases against Jeffers on a double, a walk and an infield single, forcing a pitching change for the Panthers. Senior Tyler Britton came on and nearly escaped the jam with the shutout intact but an error on a two-out grounder allowed La Salle’s Jared Melone to score the Explorers’ lone run of the contest.

Britton retired seven-straight La Salle batters following the error then handed the baton off to redshirt-senior Joe Goodman in the ninth. The right-hander struck out the side to secure the Panthers’ eighth win of the season.

Clare and sophomore Carson Jackson both went 2-4 with a run scored at the plate for HPU. Jackson had a double and two stolen bases while Clare had a stolen base of his own, his sixth of the season. All told, High Point stole five bases on the day and now have a Big South-best 29 through 12 games this season. Senior TIm Mansfield finished 1-3 with a walk, a stolen base and his conference-best third triple of the season.

The Panthers and Explorers wrap up their two-game series on Wednesday, March 9, at Williard Stadium. High Point can improve to 4-0 in midweek games with a win in the series finale. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.