High Point Takes Rubber Match and Big South Baseball Series

RADFORD, Va. - High Point plated three runs in each of the fifth, sixth and eighth and added four in the ninth, to capture game three of the weekend Big South Conference series and the rubber match over Radford, 14-4, Sunday afternoon in Big South Conference baseball action at Dedmon Center Park. (Box Score)

Mark Shorey (three RBI), Jayson Hoffman and Colin Cronin each collected three hits in five trips to pace the High Point’s (11-22, 2-6 BSC) 17-hit attach. Matt Gorman and Ray Rojas each added a pair of hits in the victory as Clayton Gordner worked just an inning of relief to earn his third victory of the season and second in three days. Travis Motsinger allowed just a ninth inning single to Stuart Ritchie over the final 3.1 innings to help preserve the victory.

For Radford (6-16, 2-6 BSC), Steve Mignogna went 2-for-4 with a triple, while Stuart Ritchie added a pair of hits. Freshman Josh Deaver, who struck out six, suffered his fourth loss in five decisions, allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits over 5.2 innings.

Mignogna snapped a scoreless game through 3.2 innings, drilling a Holfstein offering for a triple to the base of the centerfield fence scoring Shaun House from second after his two-out double down the leftfield line kept the inning alive. Mignogna would score on a balk giving RU a 2-0 lead after four.

High Point would waste no time getting the runs back taking a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth. After Deaver registered back-to-back strikeout looking to the first two Panther batters of the inning, Jayson Hoffman kept the inning alive lining a single into right. Hoffman would move over to third on a pair of Deaver balks as Matt Gorman would draw a two-out walk putting runners at the corners and two out. Cornin would double sharply to right scoring Hoffman from third sending leadoff batter Matt Christie to the plate. Christie delivered with a dribbler down the first base line eluding the tag of Deaver to score Gorman. As Deaver pleaded his case with the umpire, Cronin, who was at second, came in to score and gave HPU a 3-2 lead.

In the sixth High Point plated two, two-out unearned runs off Deaver courtesy of back-to-back doubles by Thompson and Shorey and an RBI single down the leftfield line by Gorman for a 6-2 lead. The Highlanders plated two unearned runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth, taking advantage of a pair of bases loaded walks by Ryan Wetzel and Alan Ashworth to pull within 6-4.

A walk and three singles and a balk led to the Panthers three run eighth as High Point extended their lead to 9-4. A solo, leadoff, pinch-hit homerun by Ken Keesee started the Panthers four run, five hit ninth.

Radford will host cross town rival and New River Valley foe Virginia Tech on Tuesday, April 8. First pitch at Dedmon Center Park scheduled for 3 p.m.