HIGH POINT, N.C. – Pitchers dominated for High Point and Longwood on Sunday night before High Point pieced together a couple late runs to take down the Lancers 3-1. Starters Tyler Morgan and Harrison Smith struck out 11 apiece, and the two pitching staffs combined to strike out 28 batters.

"Morgan was spectacular and deserved a better outcome," said Longwood head coach Ryan Mau. "He had all his stuff working and made big time pitches when needed."
 
Both starters were almost unhittable and traded blows strikeout for strikeout. Morgan struck out every single player in the High Point lineup at least once in his seven innings while Smith matched him pitch for pitch and only surrendered six baserunners in his six innings. High Point reliever Greg Lyttle came on in the seventh and promptly retired nine of the 10 batters he faced to end the game.

Morgan only surrendered six hits and a walk, but High Point clustered them in the first and seventh to plate runs. With the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, HPU's Daniel Millwee led off with a double before Morgan struck out back-to-back batters. Sam Zayicek broke the tie with a seeing-eye line drive double through the right side of the infield that made it 2-1. He scored when Conner Dunbar drove a line drive straight past Morgan up the middle.
 
"That was a very well-pitched and defended game," said Mau. "We couldn't get anything going offensively, and they were able to get the clutch hit."

High Point had taken a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Millwee in the first inning before Longwood's offense got on the board in the third. Antwaun Tucker demolished a solo home run over the left field wall, his second homer of the season, to even the score.
 
Morgan (2-5) took a tough loss after a quality start where he gave up three runs, all earned, on six hits and a walk. His 11 strikeouts were a season high, and he threw 73 of his 109 pitches for strikes. John Gregory pitched a scoreless eighth inning and struck out one.
 
Lyttle (3-1) earned the win after coming on in relief to start the seventh inning for High Point. He struck out five in three innings after Smith set a career high with his 11 strikeouts in six innings. The two held the Lancers to one run on four total hits and three walks.
 
Game two takes place Sunday, and the game has been moved up due to weather. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. instead of 1 p.m. in the afternoon.
 
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