BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - High Point scored three runs in the ninth and two more in the tenth inning to go on to hand Gardner-Webb a 6-5 loss in the opener of Saturday's twin bill.
Gardner-Webb (21-16, 7-7 Big South) held a 4-1 lead over High Point (19-15, 10-4 Big South) as play headed to the top of the ninth inning.
Hunter Lee led of the frame for the Panthers with a solo home run to right field, and with one out JJ Woodard ripped a base knock back up the middle to bring the tying run to the plate.
GWU went to its bullpen, bringing in
Jarrett Thompson to relieve starter
Bradley Hallman, who gave up a double to right field to Jordan Sergent, putting runners on second and third with one out.
Tanner Wells stepped up a sent a fly ball deep into center field that trimmed GWU's lead to 4-3, and Blake Schunk followed with a RBI single to left field to tie the game with two away.
Thompson got Conner Dunbar to hit a fly ball to center field to end the frame with the score knotted at 4-4.
HPU brought in Rion Murrah to work the ninth, who retired the side to send the contest into extra innings.
Thompson retired the first two batters he squared off against in the top of the tenth before allowing Lee to reach on a walk.
That brought Carson Jackson to the plate, who sent an 0-2 pitch over the right field wall to give High Point a 6-4 lead.
Gardner-Webb plated one run in the bottom of the tenth on a sacrifice fly by
Mason Fox, but was unable to complete a comeback attempt, falling by a 6-5 score.
High Point took an immediate 1-0 lead, as leadoff batter Austin Zente launched a home run over the right field wall in the top of the first inning.
GWU answered in the bottom half of the inning as
Mickey Dugan belted a solo shot to right field, his sixth home run of 2018.
Neither team scored again until the bottom of the fifth inning when Fox launched a three-run missile into the trees beyond they left fiend fence, his fifth home run of the season.
Both teams combined for just two base hits in the following innings leading up to the ninth.
High Point had 10 base hits, led by Lee (2-for-4, HR, RBI), Sergent (2-for-4, 2B, 3B), and Wells (2-for-3, 2B).
GWU had six base hits, with
Corey Howard (2-for-4) and
Justin Kunz (2-for-3, 2 2B) each having multiple-hit games.
Murrah (3-2) earned the win for High Point, working the final two frames with one run allowed on one hit with one strikeout. Starter Joe Johnson lasted 7.0 innings, allowing four runs, one earned, on five base hits with four strikeouts.
Thompson (1-1) took the loss for Gardner-Webb, allowing three runs on three hits in 1.2 innings of relief. Hallman lasted a season-long 8.1 innings in the start, giving up three runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts.
