• High Point picked up a 5-2 win at #21 Coastal Carolina to open the weekend series on Saturday.
• Redshirt-senior Scot Hoffman threw a career-high 8-1/3 innings and struck out a career-high nine to get the win.
• Senior Dominic Fazio and sophomore Hunter Lee both hit home runs in three-run eighth-inning.
CONWAY, S.C. – The High Point University baseball team opened its three-game series at #21 Coastal Carolina with a 5-2 win over the Chanticleers on Saturday afternoon in Conway, S.C. Redshirt-senior Scot Hoffman set career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts in the win for the Panthers.
“This was a very complete game against a very good team,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “Scot Hoffman was unbelievable on the mound today. We competed well in the late innings at the plate. Drew Fopeano
Hoffman allowed two earned runs in a career-high 8-1/3 innings to improve to 4-3 on the season. The right-hander carried a shutout into the ninth and allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out a career-high nine. Senior Tyler Brittongot the final two outs for his third save of the season.
Alex Cunningham took just his second loss of the season for the Chanticleers, dropping to 6-2. Cunningham allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks in seven innings and struck out nine.
The win is HPU’s second-straight over a top-25 opponent and it breaks a four-game losing streak for High Point against CCU. The Panthers’ improve to 26-13 overall and 9-4 in the Big South. Coastal Carolina drops to 29-11 overall and 11-2 in conference action with the loss, the Chanticleers’ first in 10 games.
The game remained scoreless until the seventh inning when the Panthers finally got on the board with two runs. Sophomore Carson Jackson led off the inning with his second double of the day and was driven in thanks to an RBI double by junior Drew Fopeano. The HPU designated hitter then came around to score the second run on a ground ball to short by senior Tim Mansfield.
High Point added three runs in the following inning on home runs by sophomore Hunter Lee and senior Dominic Fazio to go ahead 5-0. Lee led off the inning with a high shot over the fence in right. After a single by junior Chris Clare chased Cunningham from the game, Fazio hit a shot over the wall in left-center for his first home run of the season.
Coastal Carolina got two runs in the ninth on a home run by G.K. Young but Britton came in to get the final two outs, securing the 5-2 victory.
Clare, Jackson and Fopeano all recorded multiple hits in the win for the Panthers with Fopeano finishing 2-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored and Jackson going 2-4 with two doubles and a run scored.
High Point and Coastal Carolina continue their series on Sunday, April 24, at 2 p.m., in Conway, S.C. The Panthers will try to pick up their first-ever series win over CCU on the road with a win on Sunday.