Site: Farmville, Va.
Score: High Point 12, Longwood 2
W: Grey Lyttle (4-3) L: Andrew Melnyk (0-2)
Records: HPU 10-15 (8-10 Big South), LWU 9-17 (2-10 Big South)
Next HPU Event: Saturday, April 10 — at Longwood (DH) (Farmville, Va.), 12 p.m.
FARMVILLE, Va. – The High Point University baseball picked up a win in convincing fashion with a 12-2 victory over Longwood University Friday afternoon (April 9).
High Point hit nine doubles in the game to tie the Division I program record for the most two-base hits in a single game. Peyton Carr, Cole Singsank, and Adam Stuart all had a pair of two-baggers while Ryan Russell, Blake Sutton, and Sam Zayicek each added one. Russell had an even bigger day than that, hitting two home runs in the game for three RBIs.
Stuart also added three RBIs and tied with Russell for the team lead with three hits on the day, as did Carr. It was the 10th multi-hit game of the season for Carr, becoming the first Panther to reach double-digits on the season. He’s currently third on the team in hits with 27 on the year, behind Joe Johnson (29), and Brady Pearre (28). It also extended Carr’s hitting streak to six games, matching his career-best from earlier in the season.
It’s the fourth time this season the Panthers have scored double-digit runs in a game and the 12 runs are tied for the most on the year, as are the 15 hits. Russell’s two home runs also make it the fourth multi-home run game of the year for HPU and the third game that the same player has gone yard twice.
Grey Lyttle was on the hill for the Purple and White and threw a gem, going eight innings and only giving up two runs for his fifth quality start of the year. He surrendered six hits and issued just one walk to improve his team-leading WHIP down to 1.02 and picked up five strikeouts on a career-high 118 pitches. Lyttle has thrown at least five strikeouts in all eight of his starts this season, including when he only threw three innings in the rain-altered game against Gardner-Webb.
The doubles came early and often for HPU, hitting one in the first to help bring around two runs. Johnson started the game with a walk and moved to second when Carr singled to second. Both runners advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch and moved up 90 feet again when Pearre grounded out to second, scoring Johnson. Singsank then hit the first double of the game to score Carr for the second and final run of the opening frame.
High Point hit two more doubles in the second inning, with Zayicek getting the first with one down the line in left. Johnson was hit by a pitch with two outs to reach base for the second time and Carr stepped up and knocked a two-bagger down the line in right to plate Zayicek and put Johnson on third before both were stranded.
The third was a big inning for the Panthers as they put up a three-spot with two more doubles. Sutton and Stuart had back-to-back two-base knocks, with Stuart’s scoring Sutton, and then Russell hit his second homer of the season over the wall in left to make it 6-0.
A two-out double in the fourth extended the lead by one as Pearre reached on a four-pitch walk and then came around to score when Singsank doubled for the second time in the game the next batter later. Russell wasn’t done showing off his power after his home run in the third and did it again in the fifth, sending a solo shot over the wall in left-center to give the Purple and White eight runs on the day.
HPU added two more runs in the sixth inning, both coming with two outs. Carr picked up his third hit and second double of the day and then Singsank and Sutton drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Carr and moved the other two up before Stuart singled up the middle to score Singsank. Sutton tried to score from second on the play but was thrown out at the plate, keeping the score at 10-0.
Longwood broke up Lyttle’s shutout bid in the bottom of the sixth, compounding a double with a single in the next at bat to bring its first run across. The Panthers got the run back in the seventh to retake a double-digit lead when Russell doubled to center and came around to score when Travis Holt singled up the gut for his first hit of the game.
HPU added one more before the day was done when Stuart hit the record-tying ninth double of the game in the eighth to score Singsank – Stuart’s third hit of the day and second double. The Lancers ended up getting a second run in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run to left to make it 12-2. Lyttle’s day was done after eight innings and Bryan Woelfel made his second appearance of the season in the ninth, picking up a strikeout for the final out to seal the deal.
High Point and Longwood will play a doubleheader tomorrow (April 10) to finish out the series and conclude the Panthers’ seven-game road trip. Game one of the doubleheader is slated for noon with game two beginning approximately 45 minutes after the completion of the first.