High Point University Weekend Athletics Update

HPU baseball completes sweep of Rider with 4-2 win

• High Point got a 4-2 win over Rider to complete the weekend sweep on Saturday at Williard Stadium.
• Freshman Andrew Gottfried pitched a career-high seven innings and stuck out a career-high six to earn the win.
• Senior Tim Mansfield went 2-4 at the plate with a stolen base and a run scored.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team completed its sweep of Rider with a 4-2 win in the nightcap of Saturday’s double header at Williard Stadium. FreshmanAndrew Gottfried pitched a career-high seven innings to get the win.

Gottfried allowed just one run on two hits and a walk and struck out a career-high six in his seven innings of work. He did not allow a base runner until the fifth inning. The freshman improves to 2-1 on the season with the win.

Sophomore Carson Jackson pitched the final two innings to earn his second career save. He allowed one unearned run on two hits and walk and got four of his six outs with via punch out.

C.J. Hirschy took the loss for Rider and dropped to 0-2 for the season. Hirschy allowed three earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five.

High Point improved to 12-4 with the win, its fifth straight and its 11th in the past 12 games. Rider drops to 0-11 on the season.

The Broncs broke through and ended a 0-0 stalemate with a run in the top of the fifth thanks to a sacrifice fly by Mike Madonado.

HPU answered back in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs to go up, 3-1. The Panthers tied the game thanks to a double steal with runners on the corner. Sophomore Austen Zente was picked off first and caught in a pickle. Zente held up play long enough for Mansfield to break home and the senior slid in under the tag for High Point’s first run.

Three batters later, a single by Lee scored Zente and an error in the outfield on the play allowed freshman JJ Woodard to score from first. Lee followed close behind the catcher but was thrown out at home trying to take three bases on the error.

High Point added a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by junior Chris Clare to score junior Nick Capra, putting the Panthers up 4-1.

Rider scored one run on an error by Zente and had the go-ahead run at the plate in the eighth but Jackson struck out two-straight batters to escape the jam.

Mansfield was the only HPU batter to record multiple hits in the contest, finishing 2-4 with a stolen base and a run scored. Clare went 1-3 with a double and an RBI while Capra went 1-3 with a double and a run scored.

High Point will hit the road for the first time since the opening weekend on Tuesday, March 15, when the team heads down the road to Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on the ACC’s Wake Forest. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

HPU baseball downs Rider in game one of double header, 10-2

• High Point earned a 10-2 win in the first game of a Saturday double header against Rider.
• Junior Andre Scrubb struck out nine in six innings to earn his third-straight win.
• The Panthers had five RBI doubles in the win.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team clinched its weekend series against Rider with a 10-2 win in the first game of a Saturday double header at Williard Stadium. Senior Dominic Fazio went 2-4 in the win with two RBI doubles.

“We did what we needed to do to win a game today,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “Their pitcher was going pretty well early, but we stayed with our approach offensively and got to him late. When you put up a bunch of runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings you are going to win ballgames. Our pitching was solid and our defense was clean. Now we need to show resiliency and bounce back out to get the back end of this double header.

Junior Andre Scrubb picked up his third-straight win on the mound after allowing just one run in six innings of work. Scrubb gave up just two hits and four walks while striking out nine. In his last three starts, Scrubb is 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 19 innings of work.

Redshirt-senior Joe Goodman picked up his second save of 2016 with four outs at the end of the contest, including three punch outs.

Vincenzo Aiello took the loss for the Broncs, dropping to 0-3 for the season. Aiello gave up five runs, two earned, in six innings. He allowed eight hits and four walks and struck out three.

High Point has won 10 of its last 11 games and is now 11-4 on the season. Rider continues to search for its first win of the season, falling to 0-10 in 2016.

After Rider took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, the Panthers answered right back with two in the bottom of the frame to go ahead 2-1. Junior Josh Greene delivered an RBI single to tie the game then senior Dominic Fazio followed with a double off the glove of the diving Broncs’ third baseman to drive in junior Chris Clare as the go-ahead run.

High Point added three runs in the sixth and another in the seventh to extend its lead to 6-1. Junior Nick Capra delivered a two-run double and then scored on a passed ball in the sixth. Jackson drove in the run in the seventh with HPU’s third RBI double of the day.

Rider got a run back in the top of the eighth with a bases-loaded hit batter but High Point responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning to go up 10-2. The Panthers loaded the bases on a hit batter and two walks ahead of Fazio who hit his second RBI double of the day to drive in two. Senior Tim Mansfield drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and sophomoreAusten Zente drove in the fourth run of the frame with the second RBI double of the inning and the fifth of the contest.

Capra and sophomore Hunter Lee both recorded three hits to join Fazio with multiple hits in the affair. Capra had a double, two RBI and a run scored and Lee scored twice in the win.

The Panthers and Broncs wrap up the weekend series with the nightcap of the double header starting at 5:45 p.m.

High Point pushes past Providence, 13-12

• Senior Matt Thistle led HPU with five points (3g, 2a)
• Sophomore Connor Robinson posted a season-high three points (2g, 1a)
• The win marked the Panthers’ fourth-straight victory

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s lacrosse team (4-3) earned a 13-12 victory over visiting Providence (3-3) on Saturday afternoon inside Vert Stadium.

HPU jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held an 11-5 edge at halftime. The Friars stormed back in the second half and had a chance to tie the game on its final possession, but the Panthers held off the charge to earn their fourth-straight victory.

“Hats off to Providence. They played extremely hard and the way they fought back from being down 7-0 is a testament of their work ethic,” head coach Jon Torpey said. “I’m proud of our guys and their effort in getting the win. It was great to be able to get a lot of guys in again today.”

Senior Matt Thistle led the Panthers offensively with three goals and two assists. Likewise, senior Dan Lomas added three goals with all of them coming in a 1:30 span in the first quarter.

In goal, freshman Tim Troutner racked up 11 saves to go along with three caused turnovers and three ground balls. Redshirt-senior Richard Byrd equaled his career high with three caused turnovers on the afternoon.

With two goals in the contest, junior Michael LeClair extended his point-scoring streak to 33 games to break Lomas’ program record.

Senior Jamie Piluso helped HPU to a fast start going 7-9 on face-offs in the first quarter and finished the day 8-18 with seven ground balls. Off the bench, freshman Alex Woodall went 9-10 with eight ground balls.

Supporting a strong performance from the trio in attack was a deep midfield line. Sophomore Connor Robinson recorded two goals and an assist while junior Sean Harrison tallied two goals.

The depth continued to show as junior Dallas Bridle was credited with two assists and sophomore T Moyer added a goal. Three Panthers earned their first career assists on the day as redshirt-junior Danny Murray, sophomore Terrell Sands and freshman Joel Schwarz earned assists.

Redshit-senior Adam Seal and Schwars each picked up two ground balls from the wing as High Point earned a +11 margin on the ground (40-29).

The Panthers stormed out of the gate with a 7-0 run in the first 14 minutes of the contest. Moyer started the flurry scoring off an assist from Murray.

Just thirty second later Harrison made it 2-0 (13:09). The run continued as LeClair at the 12:12 mark to give HPU a 3-0 edge.

The pace slowed some before Harrison and Lomas scored 10 seconds apart to up the lead to 5-0 (2:49). Lomas then took over scoring off a loose ball then in transition to make it 7-0 with 1:23 left in the first.

The Friars answered scoring with 1:07 left before posting the first two tallies of the second period to pull within four (7-3, 11:49). However, Thistle and Robinson stopped the bleeding with a goal apiece as the Purple & White regained their six-goal lead (9-3, 6:54).

From there, Providence sandwiched goals around Thistle’s second goal of the quarter to cut the deficit to five (10-5, 2:54). But Robinson scored again right before the half to send the game to the break with HPU leading 11-5.

The Friars’ defense came out and dominated the third quarter holding the Panthers scoreless in the frame. The momentum allowed the visitors to score four straight goals to get within two early in the fourth (11-9, 10:02).

Thistle found LeClair for a huge goal at the 8:44 mark before rounding out his day with a third goal to give HPU a 13-9 lead (6:35).

Providence didn’t lie down however and posted goals at the 3:21, 2:35 and 0:09 marks to make it 13-12. The Friars then won the final face-off, but their final shot sailed high as the Panthers escaped with the win.

High Point opens league play next Saturday at Air Force. The contest against the Falcons will face-off at 5:00 p.m. EST.

High Point to play at South Carolina in 2016 NIT

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s basketball team (21-10, 13-5 Big South) will open the 2016 National Invitation Tournament with a game at South Carolina (24-8, 11-7 SEC) on Tuesday.

Tip-off between the Panthers and Gamecocks is set for 7 p.m. in Columbia, S.C. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

South Carolina posted a 24-8 record and finished third in the SEC with an 11-7 league mark in 2015-16. The Gamecocks fell in the SEC quarterfinals to Georgia (65-64).

High Point is making its second NIT appearance in the last three seasons after winning the 2016 Big South regular season championship. HPU posted a 21-10 record, including a 13-5 mark in league play. The Panthers won their final six league games to claim the title.

In HPU’s only other NIT appearance, the Panthers fell to eventual tournament champion Minnesota, 88-81, on March 18, 2014, in Minneapolis.

The Panthers were led in 2016 Big South Player of the Year and Big South Defensive Player of the Year John Brown, who became the first player in league history to claim both honors in the same season. Brown averaged 19.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and shot 60.2 percent from the field during the season.

He led the country in player efficiency rating and was third nationally in offensive efficiency.

Senior Adam Weary earned second team All-Big South honors after posting 12.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and shooting 51.3 percent on the year.

Brown (foot) and Weary (knee) are both out for the upcoming NIT. Weary had been named the Lou Henson National Player of the Week and had averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and shot 60.7 percent (62.5 3pt FG%) in the two games prior to his injury.

In their absence, a number of players stepped up during the Big South Championship. Redshirt-junior Miles Bowman Jr. was named to the Big South All-Tournament team after averaging 21.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and shooting 72.2 percent from the floor (.929 FT%).

HPU went 1-1 in the Big South Tournament, defeating No. 8 seed Longwood and falling to eventual champion UNC Asheville in the quarterfinals.

In addition to Bowman, senior Haiishen McIntyre averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 assists during the tournament while sophomore Austin White (13.0 ppg) and junior Anthony Lindauer (10.5 ppg) also averaged double figures over HPU’s pair of tournament games.

HPU’s 2016 Big South title marked its fourth-straight regular season league championship. Only Kansas (Big 12), Gonzaga (WCC) and Stephen F. Austin (Southland) also have won regular season league titles in each of the past four seasons.

Over the past four years, HPU leads the Big South in conference victories (50), conference winning percentage (.735) and is the only league team to make four-straight postseason appearances.

HPU has posted back-to-back 20 win seasons for the first time in the Div. I era and the first time overall since 1994-95/1995-96.

Defense powers HPU women’s lacrosse past Michigan, 11-6

• HPU set a new school record with 23 caused turnovers
• The Panthers limited a Michigan offense averaging 10.6 goals/game to just six
• Senior Emily Meier led the HPU offense with four points (2g, 2a)

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Behind one of the strongest defensive performances in recent memory, the High Point University women’s lacrosse team (4-3) put together a complete effort during an 11-6 triumph over visiting Michigan (4-4) Sunday afternoon inside Vert Stadium.

The Panthers caused a program record 23 turnovers and held a Michigan offense that entered the game averaging 10.6 goals/contest to just six.

HPU won the 50/50 ball contest when turnovers happened, holding a strong +9 edge (31-22) in ground balls. In addition, freshman goalkeeper Molly Andrews stepped up for the Purple & White, making six critical stops in the second half and seven overall.

“We really challenged our leaders coming off a loss Friday to see how we could best come together as a team,” head coach Lyndsey Boswell said. “We came out with a purpose and really stepped up as a group today. Molly Andrews made a number of big stops for us and our defense overall did a nice job of playing fast and going hard for a full 60 minutes. We’re at a point in the season where girls are stepping up when they need to. Whether it’s on the field or on the sideline, everyone is contributing and that’s great to see.”

HPU’s defensive prowess was bolstered by a collective team effort on that side of the field. Seven Panthers caused at least two turnovers, led by freshman Hayley Norris (5) and junior Christina Del Sesto (4), who each posted career highs in the category.

Offensively, HPU also spread the wealth, with nine Panthers recording a point. Senior Emily Meier led the way with four points (2g, 2a), while sophomore Erica Perrotta matched her career high with three goals on the day.

Freshman Samantha Herman continued her excellent play of late, notching three points (2g, 1a) while adding a pair of draw controls and three ground balls. Senior Kristina Renner registered a team-high three draw controls while registering three ground balls and two caused turnovers as well.

Freshman Emory Gaeng contributed on both ends of the field, posting a goal and an assist while chipping in a personal best three caused turnovers.

Michigan tallied the first two goals of the contest, before the Panthers roared back with a 6-0 run over the next 16 minutes to build a 6-2 edge with 9:57 to play in the half. The surge included two straight Meier to Herman scores and a pair of great dodges to the cage from Perrotta.

Michigan answered with a 2-0 spurt to cut the lead to 6-4, but senior Allie Foard tallied a goal with 1:20 left in the period to give HPU a 7-4 halftime lead.

Michigan scored less than a minute into the second half (7-5), but after 10 minutes of scoreless action, HPU went back up three (8-5) on a goal from Meier at the 19:53 mark. The Wolverines scored four minutes later to move back within two (8-6), but HPU held Michigan scoreless over the final 15:35 and ended the game on a 3-0 run to clinch the victory.

The Panthers are now 4-0 when they hold their opponent under 10 goals this season. In HPU’s last three victories, the Purple & White have held their foe scoreless over the final 15+ minutes of action.

HPU’s 23 caused turnovers broke the previous school record of 18 set on Feb. 29, 2012 vs. UC Davis. In addition, he Panthers’ 31 ground balls were the most picked up by an HPU squad since a April 7, 2012, game vs. Presbyterian.

HPU now takes a nine-day break from competition before returning to action on March 22 vs. intra-Triad rival Elon (5-2). First draw between the Panthers and Phoenix is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Vert Stadium.