HIGH POINT, N.C. (Interstat) — Christian Smith lined a walk-off single to right-center field in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday, lifting the High Point Panthers to a 3-2 victory over the North Carolina A&T Aggies at Millis Center.

The game-winning rally came against Aggies reliever Kobie Cushing, who entered with one out in the ninth. After striking out Caden McCarter, Cushing walked Sam Kohler. Pinch-runner Connor Martin promptly stole second base, setting the stage for Smith. The Panthers’ designated hitter delivered on the first pitch he saw, driving a sharp single to score Martin and ignite the home team’s celebration.

The dramatic finish capped a tightly contested pitchers’ duel where both teams managed only five hits apiece. The contest was defined by defensive miscues, as all five runs scored were unearned.

North Carolina A&T (9-22) struck first with two unearned runs in the opening inning. After Trey Smith walked and advanced to third on a Braxton Wyche single, Smith scored on a wild pitch from High Point starter Justin Silverstein. The Aggies added another in the second when Luis Gomez scored from third on a throwing error by Panthers shortstop Caden McCarter.

High Point (22-10) chipped away with single runs in the first and fourth, both aided by Aggies errors. In the first, Jack Clark singled, stole second and third, and then scored on a throwing error by the pitcher. In the fourth, Smith lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Javon Oh, who had reached on a walk and advanced on a throwing error.

The most important part of the game was the dominant relief pitching that kept the score tied, setting up the ninth-inning heroics. After Silverstein allowed two unearned runs over three innings, the High Point bullpen quartet of Jack Carey, Mateo Wells, Dalton Hitt and Silverstein combined for six scoreless frames, surrendering just three hits and striking out 12.

Their effort was matched by the Aggies’ bullpen for much of the night. Starter Agyei Quinichett was brilliant, firing four hitless innings with four strikeouts. Jason Johnson and Diego Barrett followed with four more hitless innings of relief, combining for five strikeouts. The Aggies’ pitching staff did not allow a hit until the eighth inning and had retired 16 consecutive Panthers at one point.

Clark was the only Panther with multiple hits, going 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored. For the Aggies, Gomez went 2 for 3 with a run scored.

The victory improved High Point’s record in one-run games this season, while North Carolina A&T fell to 3-8 in such contests. The Panthers’ win defied the Interstat game simulator, which had projected a 7-5 High Point victory, though their ELO system gave the Panthers a 77% probability to win.

Both teams open conference series on Friday. The Aggies travel to face the College of Charleston, while the Panthers host Radford. The intrastate rivals will meet again next Tuesday in Greensboro.