HPU baseball clinches series with 6-3 win at Kennesaw State

• High Point picked up its second-straight win at Kennesaw State to clinch the series against the Owls.
• The Panthers scored four unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings to earn the 6-3 win.
• Three players recorded multiple hits in the game, including sophomore JJ Woodard who finished 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

KENNESAW, Ga. – The High Point University baseball team scored four unanswered runs to clinch the weekend series against Kennesaw State with a 6-3 win in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday in Kennesaw, Ga.

Senior Jeremy Johnson picked up his first win of the season with 3-2/3 innings of scoreless relief. The left-hander allowed four hits and one walk while striking out four. Freshman Drew Daczkowski got the start and allowed three runs, one earned with five strikeouts in 5-1/3 innings.

Will Bice took the loss for Kennesaw State, dropping to 0-1 on the season. Bice allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits in his one inning of relief.

The series win is HPU’s third of the season and its first on the road. The Panthers improve to 8-5 while Kennesaw State drops to 6-8.

Senior Josh Greene gave High Point the lead in the second inning with a two-run home run. The senior hit a line drive shot off the scoreboard on a 2-0 pith for his first home run of the season. Sophomore JJ Woodard scored on the play after leading off the inning with a single.

Kennesaw State scored once in the fifth and twice in the sixth to take a 3-2 lead but the Panthers answered right back with three runs in the seventh to go back ahead, 5-3. Dunbar hit a one-out double down the line to get things going for the Panthers then scored on a triple from junior Austen Zente. Sergent hit a ground ball that was thrown away by the KSU first baseman, allowing Zente to score. The first baseman then came home on a single from junior Zack Gray for the final run of the inning.

High Point tacked on an insurance run in the eighth when Woodard hit an RBI single to score junior Hunter Lee who singled and stole second to get into scoring position.

Woodard ended the day 2-4 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored while Lee went 2-4 with a run scored and Sergent finished 2-5 with a run scored.

The Panthers and Owls wrap up the weekend series with the second game of today’s doubleheader. First pitch is set for 4:15 p.m.