Winthrop at High Point
HIGH POINT, N.C. (Interstat) — SeoJun Oh went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored to lead the High Point Panthers to an 11-3 victory over the Winthrop Eagles on Sunday afternoon at George S. Erath Field at Coy O. Williard Baseball Stadium.
Oh, who entered the game having hit safely in three of his previous four outings, keyed an offense that pounded out 13 hits. Caleb Hammond added a 3-for-3 day that included a home run and three RBIs, and Landen Johnson went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. The Panthers improved to 34-17 overall and completed a three-game sweep of the Big South series after winning 7-3 on Saturday and 9-8 in 10 innings on Friday.
Winthrop fell to 30-21.
High Point struck first in the bottom of the first inning. Sean Kelly doubled to left-center and scored on a double to right field by Oh. After a flyout, Oh advanced to third on a single by McCarter, who then delivered a two-run single to center that put the Panthers ahead 3-0.
Winthrop tied the game in the top of the fourth. After a walk and a fielders’ choice, Ben scored on a sacrifice fly. Later in the inning, Gabe Natividad doubled to center, driving in two unearned runs to knot the score at 3-3.
High Point answered immediately. Hammond led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run to right-center, putting the Panthers ahead 4-3.
The Panthers broke the game open in the fifth. Oh homered to right field to make it 5-3, then Hammond delivered an RBI single that pushed the lead to 6-3. High Point added four more runs in the sixth. Oh singled to center for two RBIs, a passed ball allowed another run to score, and Hammond added a sacrifice fly. The Panthers led 10-3.
High Point capped its scoring in the seventh when Allen singled to left to drive in Oh, who had doubled.
Winthrop’s offense was held to four hits. Natividad had the only extra-base hit for the Eagles, finishing 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Winthrop starter Garrett Byrd lasted four innings, allowing four runs, while Dylan Hansen pitched a scoreless eighth.
High Point’s pitching staff combined for a stellar performance. Aidan Paul threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and no earned runs with one strikeout. Jack Carey followed with 2 2/3 innings of one-hit, scoreless relief, striking out one. Tyler Shafer and Dalton Hitt each tossed a hitless inning to close.
The win extended High Point’s winning streak to three games. The Panthers are scheduled to open a three-game series at UNC Asheville on Thursday, May 14. Winthrop will travel to South Carolina on Tuesday, May 12, before hosting Longwood for a three-game series beginning May 14.
Oh’s performance capped a strong series against Winthrop. He went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in Saturday’s win and 1-for-5 with an RBI in Friday’s extra-inning victory. On Sunday, he reached base four times and scored three runs.
The game was the final regular-season meeting between the two Big South rivals. High Point won all three games of the series, outscoring Winthrop 27-14.
Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of High Point 6, Winthrop 4. Interstat’s Elo system had given High Point a 64.90 percent probability to win the game.