• High Point scored five unanswered runs to come-from-behind for an 11-8 win in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday.
• Sophomore Hunter Lee hit a game-winning two-run home run in the eighth and finished with four RBI.
• Senior Tyler Britton earned his sixth win of the season with four innings of relief work.
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team came-from-behind late to pick up an 11-8 win over Liberty in the first game of a double header on Thursday afternoon at Williard Stadium. The Panthers scored five unanswered runs to take the first game.
“You really have to credit Liberty for coming back after going down 6-0, but our guys showed great character,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “Hunter Lee was a monster with four RBI and Josh Greene had four hits. We performed very well offensively and I am proud of our guys fighting back to get this win.”
Tied at 8-8 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Panthers scored three times to go up 11-8. Lee broke the tie with a two-run home run to right, his third home run of the season. The HPU second baseman drove in senior Dominic Fazio, who reached on an error. High Point tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single by junior Josh Greene, scoring junior Luke Parker.
Senior Tyler Britton got the win after pitching four innings out of the bullpen and improved to 6-1 on the season. Britton allowed three earned runs on six hits and a walk and struck out five.
Zander Clouse suffered the loss for the Flames and dropped to 4-3. The right-hander reliever allowed three runs, one earned on two hits and a walk in his one inning of relief.
The win improves High Point’s overall record to 31-20, matching the team’s Div. I record for regular season wins. HPU also improved to 14-8 in the Big South and clinched a top-three seed in the Big South Championship. Liberty drops to 26-27 overall and 10-12 in conference play.
The Panthers scored twice in the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead. The first three HPU batters reached as sophomore Austen Zente was hit by a pitch and redshirt-junior Tim Mansfield walked ahead of junior Chris Clare
High Point added to its lead in the third, scoring three times to go ahead by a 5-0 margin. Lee drove in his second run of the day with an RBI single and sophomore Carson Jackson hit a two-run single for the Panthers.
Greene added another run in the fourth on his fourth home run of the season. The centerfielder led off the HPU half of the inning with a solo shot over the short porch in right-center field to make the score 6-0.
Liberty came back with three runs in next half inning to cut the Panther lead in half to 6-3. The Flames got sacrifice flies from D.J. Artis and Dalton Britt and an RBI single by Andrew Yacyk.
A five-run sixth by Liberty erased the High Point lead and put the Flames in front, 8-6. Josh Latta and Artis hit RBI singles and Will Shepherd tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Yacyk then put Liberty in front with a two-run home run to right-center.
High Point tied the game with two runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Zente. Redshirt-sophomore Zach Vandergriftand Greene had back-to-back singles and both came around to score on the two-out single by Zente to tie the game at 8-8.
Lee finished 2-4 at the plate with a home run, a career-high four RBI and two runs scored. Greene matched his career-high with four hits, finishing 4-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.
The Panthers and Flames are back in action in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader at Williard Stadium. The two teams will conclude their series on Friday, May 20, at 6 p.m.