BOX SCORE

PLAY-BY-PLAY

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team fell to High Point, 25-16, on Friday night at Williard Stadium in the first game of this weekend’s series. Playing in a torrential mist for most of the evening, the teams battled for nearly four hours and combined for 41 runs and 51 hits.

Sophomore Jacob Daniel entered the game at designated hitter in the sixth inning and batted 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore Richie Rodriguez, meanwhile, went 4-for-6 on the night with an RBI and three runs scored, while senior Anthony Ottrando led the Colonels with six RBI, four of them the result of a grand slam in the ninth inning.

Murray White IV led the Panthers offensively, batting a perfect 5-for-5 with three RBI and four runs scored. Max Fulginiti paced HPU with five runs driven in.

Sophomore Matt Harris (0-2) started on the hill for EKU and received the loss, working just two innings and surrendering 10 runs on 12 hits.

Jamie Serber (2-0) got the win for HPU, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing eight runs on 10 hits.

EKU jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead when Rodriguez singled to lead off the game, stole second and went to third on a groundout by junior Bryce Labhart. Junior Jayson Langfels then walked and stole second, and Ottrando laced a single into left center, scoring Rodriguez and Langfels.

HPU, however, strung together seven consecutive hits in the bottom of the first to score eight runners and take a commanding lead. After EKU went scoreless in the second, HPU had an opportunity to add to that lead, but Harris got Mike Mercurio to strike out swinging with the bases loaded to end the inning.

It would not end the Panthers’ scoring, though, as HPU plated four in the third, three in the fourth and four in the fifth to expand on its lead.

The Colonels began to battle back in the top of the sixth as sophomore #A.J. Jamison# corked an RBI double into right center that scored Daniel and made it 18-3.

EKU then exploded for seven runs in the seventh to pull within nine. Four of the first five Colonels in the inning singled to push one across and leave the bases loaded. One of those singles was freshman Austin Grisham’s first career hit. Sophomore Michael Garcia then walked in a run and Daniel blasted a triple to left center that cleared the bases. After sophomore Brian Shrimpton was hit by a pitch in his first career at-bat, freshman Jeff Emerich struck out, but sophomores Dustin Dunlop and Rodriguez hit consecutive RBI singles to make the score 19-10.

A double to left center by Daniel in the eighth scored Garcia and pulled the Colonels to within eight, 19-11.

The Panthers, though, scored six runs on six hits in their half of the eighth to make the score 25-11.

An Ottrando grand slam in the ninth was the Colonels’ final gasp, as Shrimpton went down on strikes to end the marathon game at 25-16.

The Colonels will return to High Point to play the Panthers in game two tomorrow, March 13, at 2:00 p.m.