• High Point lost the second game of its three-game series at #21 Coastal Carolina, 17-5, to even the series at a game apiece.
• Sophomore Spencer Brown had a career-high three hits with a double, an RBI and two runs scored for the Panthers.
• HPU and Coastal will play the rubber game of the series on Monday, April 25, at 4 p.m.
CONWAY, S.C. – The High Point University baseball team lost at #21 Coastal Carolina by a score of 17-5 on Sunday afternoon in Conway, S.C., to even the three-game series at 1-1. Sophomore Spencer Brown
went 3-4 and scored two runs in the contest.
“This was obviously not the way we wanted today to go,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “We are going to forget about today’s game. We are still in position to win the series so that is what we are going to come out and do tomorrow.”
Junior Andre Scrubb took the loss on the mound for the Panthers and dropped to 6-4 on the season. The right-hander allowed 10 earned runs on seven hits and eight walks in 2-1/3 innings while striking out four.
Bobby Holmes picked up a win for CCU and improved to 4-1. Holmes gave up five earned runs on six hits and two walks in six innings of work and struck out four.
The Panthers drop to 26-14 overall and 9-5 in the Big South with the loss while Coastal Carolina improves to 30-11 overall and 12-2 in conference action.
High Point manufactured a run in the first inning when sophomore Hunter Lee singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, was bunted to third and scored on an RBI groundout by junior Josh Green.
Coastal Carolina scored twice in the first on a home run by Michael Paez and four times in the second to build a 6-1 lead. Zach Remillard had an RBI double and Tyler Chadwick had a bases-loaded bloop single to drive in two for the Chanticleers in the second inning.
A five-run third continued to extend the lead for Coastal Carolina as the Chanticleers went up 11-1. Remillard drove in his second run of the game and a run scored on an error before Conner Owing drove in three with a home run to center field.
The Panthers put a second run on the board in the fifth with an RBI single by junior Chris Clare, scoring sophomore Spencer Brown from second.
Coastal Carolina tacked on two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to go up 14-2, but High Point came right back with three runs in the seventh to bring the score to 14-5. Brown hit an RBI double to drive in the first run and both Clare and Greene picked up their second RBI of the game.
The Chanticleers tacked on three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on a home run by Kevin Woodall and a bases-loaded hit batter to bring the final margin in the game to 17-5.
Brown set a new career high with three hits on the day to go along with an RBI and two runs scored. Clare and Jackson joined Brown with multiple hits on the day for HPU. Clare went 2-4 with two RBI and Jackson finished 2-4 with a double.
High Point will take on Coastal Carolina in the rubber game of the three-game series on Monday, April 24, at 4 p.m. The Panthers will try to claim their eighth weekend series of the season and their first-ever at CCU with a win on Monday.