• High Point picked up a 7-2 win at Maryland on Friday to open a three-game weekend series in College Park.
• Sophomore Hunter Lee went 2-5 at the plate and hit his first home run of the season.
• Redshirt-senior Scot Hoffman earned his third-straight win on the mound and moved to 3-2 on the season.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The High Point University baseball team opened its three-game series at Maryland with a 7-2 win over the Terrapins on Friday afternoon in College Park, Md. Sophomore Hunter Lee went 2-5 with a home run and two RBI for the Panthers.
“I thought we were tremendous today,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “We had a clear game plan going in and we executed it. Hunter Lee had a big day and Drew Fopeano was clutch. On the mound, Scot Hoffman battled then Jeremy Johnson closed the door. We did all the things you need to do to win a ballgame so it was a great way to start this series.”
Redshirt-senior Scot Hoffman picked up his third win of the season and improved to 3-2. Hoffman allowed two earned runs on seven hits and a two walks in 5-2/3 innings of work with three strikeouts.
Junior Jeremy Johnson retired the final 11 batters in a row to earn his first collegiate save. Johnson pitched 3-1/3 scoreless innings and struck out two.
Mike Shawaryn gave up three earned runs in 3-2/3 innings to take the loss for Maryland, dropping to 2-3 on the season. The right-hander gave up three hits and a walk and struck out five.
High Point improves to 19-7 overall with the win while Maryland drops back to .500 at 13-13.
The Panthers got on the board with a run in the third then added two runs in the fourth to take an early 3-0 lead. Lee drove in the first run with an RBI single to score sophomore Austen Zente. HPU then loaded the bases in the fourth and scored twice on a sacrifice fly by Zente and an RBI double by junior Drew Fopeano.
Lee pushed the High Point lead to 4-0 in the fifth with a solo home run, his first of the season. The HPU second baseman swung at the first pitch of the inning and hit a line drive over the wall in right for the round-tripper.
High Point continued to tack on runs in the following inning, scoring two runs on an RBI single by JJ Woodard to extend the lead to 6-0. Zente reached with two outs on an error then stole second, his 17th stolen base of the season. A walk to Fopeano and a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position for Woodard who hit a hard shot back up the middle.
After Maryland got two runs back on a home run by Marty Costes in the sixth, senior Tim Mansfield scored HPU’s seventh run in the next half inning with a walk, two stolen bases and a throwing error on his steal of third.
Lee finished 2-5 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored while Fopeano went 2-2 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored.
High Point and Maryland are back at it again on Saturday, April 2, when they meet for the second game of their three-game weekend series. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.