• High Point earned an 8-0 road win over UNC Asheville to open Big South play.
• Redshirt-senior Scot Hoffman threw 6-1/3 shutout innings with a career-high eight strikeouts to earn his first win.
• Sophomore Carson Jackson went 3-4 and finished a single shy of the cycle with a career-high four RBI.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team began conference play with an 8-0 win at UNC Asheville on Friday night. Sophomore Carson Jackson had a career-high four RBI and was a single shy of the cycle in the win.
“This was a great way to start Big South play,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “Hoffman was pretty-darned good tonight. He had to work out of some situations early and once he settled in, he was tremendous. Carson Jackson and JJ Woodard were extremely productive at the plate. Starting the weekend off with a shutout and doing what we did offensively was what we wanted out here today.”
Redshirt-senior Scot Hoffman had his best outing of the season to improve to 1-2 in 2016. Hoffman threw 6-1/3 shutout innings with a career-high eight strikeouts. He gave up just five hits and two walks and at one point struck out six-straight Bulldog batters.
Jordan Fulbright took the loss for Asheville and dropped to 2-3 on the season. He allowed four earned runs on eight his in 5-2/3 innings and struck out one.
High Point improves to 13-5 overall and 1-0 in the Big South with the road win. UNC Asheville falls to 4-13 and 0-1 in conference play.
The Panthers got on the board with a run in the third then doubled their lead with a run in the fifth to go ahead by a score of 2-0 midway through the contest. Junior Luke Parker led off the third with a triple and came home on a swinging bunt by freshman JJ Woodard. In the fifth, Woodard singled, stole second and moved to third on a balk before scoring on an RBI single by junior Chris Clare.
High Point strung together three-straight hits to lead off the sixth, doubling its lead to 4-0. Senior Dominic Fazio led off with a single and sophomore Carson Jackson tripled to drive him home. Sophomore Austen Zente then came to the plate and hit an RBI double to score Jackson.
The HPU first baseman delivered a big hit again in the following inning with a two-out, two-run double as the Panthers continued to extend their lead to 6-0. Sophomore Hunter Lee and Clare both walked to leadoff the frame and moved into scoring position with a double steal. Jackson brought both home with a double into the left field corner for his second and third RBI of the night.
High Point added a run in the eighth on an RBI single by Woodard and another in the ninth on Jackson’s second home run of the season to make the final score 8-0.
Jackson finished 3-4 at the plate with a double, triple and home run. He had a career-high four RBI and two runs scored. Woodard also finished with three hits, going 3-4 with two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base.
High Point and Asheville will continue their three-game series on Saturday, March 19, at Greenwood Field. First pitch in the game between the Panthers and Bulldogs is set for 3 p.m.