HPU Baseball Holds on for 8-7 Victory over Dayton / Lee’s Clutch Knock Lifts HPU to Sweep over Dayton

**Game 1 and Game 2 Recaps Included**

• Redshirt-junior Daniel Millwee posted four RBI’s, increasing his team-leading total to 11 over the last three games.
• Freshman Travis Holt and Tanner Wells each collected a pair of hits.
• Redshirt-junior Jonny Vizcaino earned his first career win, spinning three double plays in 3.1 innings or relief.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University baseball team rallied from an early four-run deficit to nab an 8-6 victory over visiting Dayton on Saturday afternoon at Williard Stadium.

High Point (3-3) trailed 4-0 after an inning and a half, but worked their way back into the game thanks to some erratic pitching from Dayton (1-4) starter Jordan Cox. Redshirt-junior Daniel Millwee and senior Hunter Lee drew consecutive two-out bases loaded walks in the last of the second to slice the deficit in half at 4-2.

An inning later, back-to-back sacrifice flies from senior Jordan Sergent and senior Carson Jackson evened the score at four apiece. The Panthers weren’t done, though, as a hit batter and a walk brought Millwee to the plate. The Panther backstop took advantage of the opportunity, crushing a three-run blast to left-center for his second dinger in as many days.

Millwee went 2-for-3, reaching base four times and driving in four. He’s now driven in 11 runs in the last three contests.

High Point’s combination of sophomore Grey Lyttle and redshirt-junior Jonny Vizcaino settled the game down on the mound. Lyttle allowed two inherited runners to score but otherwise pitched two scoreless frames. Vizcaino (1-0) was credited with the victory after authoring three double play balls in 3.1 innings of work. He gave up a run on four hits, struck out three and walked one.

HPU added a run in the last of the sixth inning on Sergent’s second sacrifice fly of the day, moving High Point ahead 8-4. It turned out to be a crucial tally as Dayton struck for single tallies in each of their last three at-bats. Junior Cooper Jeffers was summoned with two on and one down in the ninth and coaxed a double play and a strikeout to finish off the game, earning his first save of the year.

The Panthers and Flyers will wrap up the series with game two of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon.


Lee’s Clutch Knock Lifts HPU to Sweep over Dayton

• Senior Hunter Lee went 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI single in the last of the eighth inning.
• Senior Rion Murrah earned his first win of the year with four scoreless innings of relief.
• HPU has now won four in a row and heads to North Carolina on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Senior Hunter Lee scolded a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning, sending the High Point University baseball team to a comeback 4-3 win over Dayton on Saturday evening. The Panthers swept the series and have now won four straight.

“Doubleheaders are really difficult,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “I’m proud of our guys because the things you should do on a daily bases – throw strikes and play clean defense – we did for 18 innings today. As well as Dayton swung the bat today, if we had put anybody on base free, then we probably don’t have the same results. I was excited to see two seniors come up with some big hits to deliver the sweep for us.”

For the second time on the day, HPU (4-3) had to climb out of an early hole to earn the victory. Dayton (1-5) moved ahead in the top of the third inning on a two-out RBI single and added two more in the fourth on a sacrifice fly and a double steal to earn a 3-0 advantage.

After a slow offensive start, HPU finally was able to break through against Dayton starter Peter Rozman in the last of the fifth. Three straight singles started the frame, capped off by an RBI single from freshman Travis Holt. Three batters later, senior Conner Dunbar slapped a game-tying two-run single to left-center to even things at 3-3.

The game remained tied until the last of the eighth when senior Carson Jackson led off with a double. Lee stepped to the dish and stroked the go-ahead single into right-center, giving HPU its first edge at 4-3.

That was enough for senior Rion Murrah on the hill as he pitched a prefect ninth inning to preserve HPU’s second straight one-run victory. All three triumphs in the series were come-from-behind fashion. Murrah (1-0) pitched the final four innings, allowing just four hits and striking out three. He has now thrown 26.1 scoreless innings since allowing an earned run.

Junior Andrew Gottfried earned a no decision in the start for High Point, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits in five innings. Lee led the offense with a pair of hits, joining Jackson and Holt with multi-hit games.

HPU will now hit the road for the next week beginning with a mid-week contest scheduled against North Carolina on Tuesday at 3 p.m. in Chapel Hill. The Panthers will then visit William & Mary for three games next weekend.