FARMVILLE, Va. – High Point scored six times across the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to rally back from a 6-1 deficit and take the series from Longwood in a 7-6 game Sunday at Charles Buddy Bolding Stadium.

Errors ruled the day as the Lancers and Panthers combined for 11 misplays in a sloppy finale to a closely contested series. High Point (14-12, 4-2) committed six errors while Longwood made five, as both teams repeatedly afforded the other scoring opportunities.

Longwood (11-15, 3-6) looked to be cruising in the middle innings, leading 6-1 after the fifth, when the game took a sharp U-turn in favor of High Point. An error sparked off a four-run frame that included a pair of wild pitches as the Panthers closed the gap to a single run on just three hits.

Over the next two innings, High Point would tack on two more runs to take a one-run lead, an advantage that would hold the rest of the way as Longwood could not find a way back. The Panthers runs again came with some assistance, as an error in the seventh led to the tying run while a balk in the eighth put the winning run in scoring position.

"This one definitely hurts," said head coach Ryan Mau. "Especially to have the lead as we did and let it get away from us in the back half of the ballgame. We had many opportunities to blow this thing open and didn't. We left 10 runners on base in the first five innings and that's going to come back and haunt you when you're playing a good offensive team."

High Point jumped to an early lead on an RBI-groundout after Hunter Lee walked, stole second and advanced to third as the throw skipped away into center field. From there, the Lancers took complete control of the rubber match, or so it seemed.

Longwood answered immediately with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the first inning, sparked by Brandon Harvell and Brandon Delk being plunked on back-to-back pitches. After a double steal to move the runners to second and third, Connar Bastaich blooped a single into shallow center field to give the Lancers their first lead of the afternoon.

The blue and white would tack on single runs for the next four innings in extending a 6-1 lead. Longwood used RBI-groundouts in the second, third and fourth innings before a throwing error in the fifth plated the Lancers sixth run of the day.

The only issue in the solid start for Longwood? The Lancers left two men in scoring position in the second and third innings, another in the fourth and the bases loaded in the fifth. As it would turn out, the blue and white needed one more of potential runs to stave off High Point.

The Panther's sixth-inning rally got started when right fielder Cody Manzella single and scored when Harvell tried to spin and fire to second on a ground ball deep in the hole between first and second. A single by Carson Jackson cut the lead to 6-3 and chased Longwood starter Travis Burnette from the game.

With men on second and third, Allen Ellis induced a ground ball to second for out number one in the frame, but another Panther run crossed making the score 6-4.  Another single, this time through the left side, cut the deficit to just one before Ellis could bring the inning to a close.

It didn't take long for High Point to pull level as the Panthers used a single and another error to set up Manzella's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh to complete the comeback. The next inning, High Point retook the lead for good after a hit by pitch and a balk set the Panthers up with a man in scoring position with one out.

A single to right center, would provide the eventual winning run for High Point as the Panthers bounced back from the 6-1 hole to overtake Longwood 7-6.

The Lancers had one last chance in the bottom of the ninth as a High Point error put Michael Osinski on second to lead off the inning. Longwood attempted to move the potential tying run to third with a sacrifice bunt, but Osinski was cut down at third on a bang-bang play at the bag. Still, the Lancers managed to get the tying run in scoring position after Mac McCafferty's second hit of the day moved Sammy Miller to second.

Unfortunately, the Lancers came up one hit short in their own comeback bid as High Point snatched the series victory with the 7-6 result.

Longwood faces a short turnaround as the Lancers host James Madison for Greek Night on Tuesday evening at Buddy Bolding Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. with the Dukes before Longwood hits the road for a three-game set at Coastal Carolina on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

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