HIGH POINT, N.C. (Interstat) — Jaxon Lloyd pitched six and two-thirds innings of no-hit baseball and Jon Howard delivered a three-run home run in the eighth inning as Longwood edged High Point 6-5 on Friday at George S. Erath Field at Coy O. Williard Baseball Stadium.

The Lancers improved to 27-18 overall and 14-9 in the Big South, while the Panthers fell to 29-16 and 12-8.

Lloyd was the star for Longwood, striking out six and allowing two earned runs on zero hits before being lifted after 6.2 innings. He walked four and hit a batter. Lloyd entered the game with a win over Binghamton on April 24, when he allowed three earned runs over six innings.

The game turned in the top of the eighth. With Longwood leading 5-2 after a three-run sixth inning, Howard crushed a 3-2 pitch from reliever Dylan Story over the right-field wall, scoring Jae’dan Carter and Jacob McMullan and giving the Lancers a 6-2 cushion. Howard finished 1-for-3 with four RBIs.

High Point answered in the bottom of the eighth. Jake McCarter launched a three-run homer off Longwood reliever JR Fordham, slicing the deficit to 6-5. McCarter went 1-for-4 with three RBIs.

Fordham, however, limited the damage. After McCarter’s homer, Fordham allowed a walk and a single but struck out pinch hitter Brayden Fleming to end the inning. He finished with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings, allowing three earned runs.

Longwood grabbed the lead in the sixth inning. Trailing 2-0, the Lancers loaded the bases on a walk and a single. Mac Tufts singled to left field to drive in Tucker Bruggeman, and Carter followed with a single to center that scored Brady Yeatts. Howard then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Tufts, making it 3-2.

The Panthers had taken a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Longwood starter Lloyd issued a walk and a hit by pitch, then a wild pitch allowed Alex Ponce to score. A sacrifice fly by Justin Oh plated Jack Kelly.

High Point starter Wade Walton went five innings, allowing two hits and no earned runs while striking out four. He left with a 2-0 lead. The Panthers threatened in the fifth but stranded a runner at third.

Longwood’s bullpen held when it mattered. After McCarter’s homer, Fordham retired the side in the ninth in order, striking out one and getting a groundout and a flyout.

The game featured only 13 total hits. Longwood managed seven, while High Point had six. Designated hitter Jae’dan Carter drove in a run, and Tufts added another RBI. For the Panthers, Landen Johnson drove in a run with a single.

Longwood plays again Saturday at High Point in the second game of the three-game series. The Lancers return home Tuesday to face Richmond, while the Panthers travel to UNC Wilmington on Tuesday.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of High Point 6, Longwood 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Panthers a 77.70 percent probability to win entering the game.