HPU Baseball Drops Series Opener at Campbell

Site: Buies Creek, N.C. (Jim Perry Stadium)
Score: Campbell 13, High Point 3
W: Logan Heintzman (6-0), L: Grey Lyttle (4-6)
Records: CU 32-24 (36-9 Big South), HPU 14-29 (12-23 Big South)
Next HPU Event: Friday, May 21 — at Campbell (DH) (Buies Creek, N.C.), 2 p.m.

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team dropped the opening game of the last series of the regular season with a 13-3 loss at Campbell University Thursday evening (May 20).

Joe Johnson led the way at the plate for the Panthers with three hits in the game, his third three-hit game of the season and 16th multi-hit game on the year to tie with Peyton Carr for the most multi-hit games on the team. The graduate student also scored two of HPU’s three runs in the game and extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Carr also had a hitting streak entering the game and he picked up a knock in the ninth inning to extend it to 12 games, the longest any Panther has had all season long. Brady Pearre was the only other member of the Purple and White with multiple hits on the day as he picked up two for his 12th multi-hit game of the season and drove in one of the runs.

Campbell started the scoring in the first inning with a trio of hits and a Panther error to bring the first run across. The game remained 1-0 until the third inning when High Point answered. Jackson Melton picked up the first hit of the game for HPU with a two-out single to center and moved up to second when Johnson hit one off the pitcher for an infield single. Carr was up next and grounded one to the shortstop that looked like it would end the inning. The Campbell fielder tried to make a quick flip to second to get Johnson on the force out but his toss to the bag was errant and allowed Melton to come home for the tying run.

The game didn’t stay tied for long as the Fighting Camels put up four runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good. A pair of hits and a sac fly brought the first run home and a double and two-run homer scored the other three. HPU got one of them back in the fifth after a bunt single from Johnson and three consecutive walks brought him home, with Pearre drawing the RBI with his base on balls.

Campbell answered in the bottom of the inning again with two runs scoring on an error on a stolen base attempt and added another in the sixth with an RBI double to make it 8-2. The Panthers scored their final run of the game in the next inning when Singsank grounded out to short to score Johnson before the Fighting Camels tacked on one in the bottom of the seventh and four more in the eighth for the 13-3 decision.

High Point and Campbell will finish the regular season on Friday (May 21) with a doubleheader. Game one is scheduled to start at 2 p.m., with game two beginning approximately 45 minutes after the completion of game one.