HIGH POINT, N.C. (Interstat) — Longwood broke open a tie game with a five-run surge across the seventh and eighth innings, beating High Point 7-2 on Sunday afternoon at George S. Erath Field at Coy O. Williard Baseball Stadium.

The Lancers, who entered the day with a 28-19 record, evened the three-game Big South series after losing the opener 10-0 on Saturday and winning Friday’s contest 6-5. High Point dropped to 30-17.

Longwood used a balanced attack, collecting 11 hits while a bullpen trio of Wyatt Bunch, Jackson Nash and Callen Travers combined to shut down the Panthers over the final 7 1/3 innings. Bunch, the winning pitcher, worked 3 2/3 innings, allowing no hits and one earned run with one strikeout. Nash struck out four in 2 1/3 hitless innings, and Travers threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames with one strikeout. JR Fordham pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts.

High Point starter Aidan Paul took the loss after allowing four earned runs on five hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out four.

The game remained scoreless through three innings as both pitchers worked efficiently. High Point broke through in the fourth when Carter singled and later scored on a sacrifice bunt by Ruiz, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

Longwood answered in the sixth. McMullan led off with a single, and after a bunt and a fielder’s choice, Jon B. tripled to left-center, scoring two runs and putting the Lancers ahead 2-1. High Point tied it in the bottom half on an RBI single by Ruiz, scoring Oh.

The pivotal moment came in the seventh. With two outs, Tufts walked and McMullan singled. Bentley Yeatts then tripled down the right-field line, clearing the bases and giving Longwood a 4-2 lead. Yeatts finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

The Lancers added three more in the eighth. Jon B. singled and scored on a single by Tré Keels. After a stolen base, Mac Tufts doubled to right-center, driving in two more runs to make it 7-2. Tufts and Keels each drove in a run.

High Point threatened in the seventh when Kelly singled and later advanced to third on a double, but Nash struck out Carter to end the inning. The Panthers grounded into two double plays, halting potential rallies.

Brogan Jones went 3-for-5 with an RBI for Longwood. For High Point, Hammond had two hits, including a double, and Ruiz drove in two runs.

Bunch’s performance continued a strong stretch. In his previous two outings, he allowed no runs over 2 2/3 innings against Binghamton on April 26 and three hits over 2 1/3 innings against Virginia Military Institute on April 21.

Longwood will host Richmond on Tuesday before a home series against Charleston Southern. High Point travels to UNC Wilmington on Tuesday and then hosts Winthrop for a three-game set.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Longwood 6, High Point 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave High Point a 77.50 percent probability of winning.