Senior Rion Murrah of the High Point University baseball team was named the Big South Relief Pitch of the Week for March 26 – April 1, the league announced on Monday. This is the second relief pitcher of the week honor for HPU this season and fifth overall weekly award, all coming in the last four weeks.

Murrah provided a dominant relief outing in Thursday’s series opener against Winthrop, logging a career-high 6.0 innings. Inheriting a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fourth, Murrah allowed a sac fly but then forced a momentum swing with a double play. That was the beginning of 16 consecutive hitters retired by Murrah before he yielded the only hit of the game with two outs in the top of the ninth. The right-hander struck out the side in the sixth and punched out eight in a 10-batter span. Overall, Murrah struck out nine and allowed only two baserunners in his six-inning relief outing.

This year, the Bainbridge, Ga. native is 2-2 with a 2.42 ERA in 10 games, tied for the second-most appearances on the team. Thursday marked his third outing this year in which he has pitched at least 4.0 innings and allowed one earned run or fewer. In 26 innings, Murrah has struck out 33 and walked only six batters while limiting opponents to a .217 average.

High Point is back in action on Tuesday when it hosts Elon at Williard Stadium at 6 p.m. HPU then hits the road for a three-game Big South series this weekend at Charleston Southern from Friday through Sunday.