High Point batters Charlotte 49ers for 18 hits in baseball win

Brady Williamson collected five hits, falling a home run shy of a cycle, and High Point put together 18 hits to top the Charlotte 49ers 8-4 Tuesday in a nonconference college baseball game.

The Panthers (5-9) opened up the game early with a three-run second and never looked back. Williamson got his first hit with a one-out double and scored two pitches later on a Chris Clare single. Clare would score on a double by Hunter Lee, who crossed the plate on a wild pitch.

The 49ers (4-6), who have dropped four in a row, had a chance to pull closer during the eighth inning after Luke Gibbs walked and Derek Gallello was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, but Charlotte couldn’t get the key hit to climb closer.

Coastal Carolina 13, No. 17 North Carolina 2: Michael Paez was 2-for-3 with three RBIs to help the host Chanticleers (11-6) beat the Tar Heels (10-5) for a second consecutive season. Coastal Carolina, which got two hits apiece from its first five batters, scored 10 in its final three innings.

North Carolina jumped on Austin Kerr for three hits and a run in the first inning but didn’t score again until the eighth. Zack Gahagan drove Landon Lassiter home with a single off the glove of shortstop Michael Paez, but Kerr escaped further damage when Logan Warmoth flied out after Skye Bolt’s single.

Duke 13, Yale 3: Kenny Koplove and Justin Bellinger each had three hits each and combined for three RBIs, and Cris Perez contributed a three-run double during an eight-run second inning for the host Blue Devils (12-3) against Yale (1-3). Bellinger is 6-for-8 with seven RBIs over the past two contests.

N.C. Central 3, Gardner-Webb 2 (10): Kory Wood smacked a solo homer during the third inning, but it was Cory Williamson’s fielder’s choice that brought home the winning run in the 10th for the Eagles (5-8) at Durham Athletic Park. The Bulldogs (10-6) dropped their fifth consecutive game, managing only six hits – only one over the final three innings after tying the score on Patrick Graham’s two-run, two-out home run in the seventh.

Presbyterian 5, Western Carolina 1: Tanner Chock (2-0) and three relievers combined on a five-hitter as the host Blue Hose (13-4) stopped the Catamounts (6-7) for their seventh victory in eight games. Ryan Hedrick had two hits and an RBI for Presbyterian.

Savannah State 6, Wofford 4: Zachary Brigham had two hits and three RBIs for the host Tigers (6-10), who took down the Terriers (12-5) despite making four errors. Matt Pelt had a first- and third-inning sacrifice flies for Wofford, which pulled within 5-4 in the sixth but left the bases loaded. The Terriers also put runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings but were unable to score.

King 5, Lenoir-Rhyne 1: Braden Cook and Jose Sola each drove in a run during the second inning, and Ryan Whitt smashed a solo homer during the seventh to help the Tornado (9-12) win at Lenoir-Rhyne (12-10). Marcus Shoemaker’s single got the Bears within 3-1 in the third, but seven King pitchers allowed only eight hits.

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 9:23 PM with the headline "High Point batters Charlotte 49ers for 18 hits in baseball win."