Saint Joseph’s left High Point with a split and a reminder of its power potential.
The Hawks dropped the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader, 3-0, before responding with a 6-1 victory in the nightcap to earn their first win of the season.
Saint Joseph’s (1-2) leaned on strong pitching in both games, but timely hitting and three home runs in Game 2 provided the separation.
Game 1: High Point 3, Saint Joseph’s 0
The opener unfolded as a pitching duel through the middle innings.
Redshirt junior right-hander Cole Fehrman made his first start as a Hawk and was sharp, striking out seven while allowing just two hits over 4 1/3 scoreless innings. High Point (2-1) threatened in the fifth with runners on the corners and one out, but reliever Sam Greer induced a double play to escape the jam.
The Panthers broke through in the sixth, capitalizing on an error to score the game’s first run. They added two more in the eighth to set the final margin.
Greer (0-1) was charged with three runs, two earned, over 3 2/3 innings. Jack Saker provided a bright spot offensively, recording two hits in his first career start at first base, but the Hawks were limited to four hits and struck out 12 times.
Game 2: Saint Joseph’s 6, High Point 1
The Hawks wasted little time resetting the tone.
Jason Janesko opened the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the first, though High Point answered with a leadoff homer in the bottom half.
Saint Joseph’s reclaimed control in the third when freshman Ben Peterson delivered a solo home run in his first collegiate at-bat. An inning later, Carson Applegate added another solo shot for a 3-1 lead.
The Hawks extended their advantage with steady, situational offense. Tim Dickinson and Janesko opened the sixth with singles, and Applegate followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1. In the seventh, Richard Beggy and Peterson reached base before Alex Kelsey laced a two-run double to push the lead to five.
On the mound, Luke Parise allowed one run over four innings in a no-decision. Left-hander Matt Fitzgibbon (1-0) took over and dominated, striking out seven over three shutout innings. When High Point placed two runners aboard with no outs in the seventh, Fitzgibbon responded by striking out the next three hitters to preserve the margin.
Andrew Gaines closed the door with two scoreless innings, striking out four to secure the win.
Peterson finished with two hits and two runs scored in his collegiate debut behind the plate. Applegate, Janesko and Kelsey each had two hits, while Applegate and Kelsey drove in two runs apiece.
After managing just four hits in the opener, the Hawks collected 11 in Game 2 and scored in five separate innings.
Saint Joseph’s now turns its attention west, traveling to Sacramento State for a four-game set beginning Thursday.
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