MARYVILLE, TENNESSEE -- The Piedmont baseball team played the second game of a three-game series Saturday with the offensive powerhouse in green and gold prevailing once again, 10-6.<br />
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The Lions would scatter 15 hits over nine innings with senior Austin Brick leading the charge as he went a perfect 4-for-4 picking up 2 RBI. <br />
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Freshman Seth George (1-0) made his first collegiate start and picked up the victory for the Lions as he tossed three and a third innings giving up just two hits and one run while striking out four batters.<br />
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Maryville took an early lead on a first and third opportunity scoring in the bottom of the first marking the first time Piedmont trailed this season. However the Lions would have an answer scoring two runs on four hits in the top of the second to take the lead and never surrendered it again.<br />
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Daniel Lindsey would score on a wild pitch, while Casey Parham (3-for-4) would add to his RBI total as he knocked in Michael Barnes (3-for-5) to give the Lions the 2-1 lead in the second.<br />
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Both teams were held relatively hitless until Maryville started to threaten with two leadoff hits in the bottom of the fourth. A strikeout by George on the mound gave the Lions one out, but runners were now on 2nd and 3rd.<br />
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Allen Tokarz saw his first action of the year immediately shutting down the Scots threat by picking a runner off at third, and striking out the following batter.<br />
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The game would stay 2-1 until both teams exploded in the sixth inning. In the top half of the inning, the men in green picked up two hits and three runs. Brick would pick up the first of his two RBI's scoring Breck Davidson (1-for-4), who reached on an error.<br />
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Lindsey would score on another Parham RBI, and Brick would later score on a wild pitch. The Lions now sat with a comfortable 5-1 lead.<br />
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However, the Scots were not ready to roll over yet as back-to-back singles would lead off the inning. Zack Blonder would double to right center scoring two more runs for the Scots bringing the score to 5-3. Tokarz would pick up one more strikeout and two groundouts to strand Blonder on the base paths.<br />
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The Scots would threaten again in the bottom of the 7th as two walks would put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out, but Tokarz would work his relief magic to work a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning and stop the momentum of Maryville late in the ball game.<br />
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The Lions would pick up 2 more runs in the top of the 8th using the Tokarz double play from a half-inning before as momentum. Will Skidmore (3-for-5) would single to left picking up 2 RBI as Brick and Barnes would score, adding to their lead to bring the game to 7-3 with one inning to play.<br />
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Again in the top of the 9th the Lions would add four more hits and 3 runs as Brick and Barnes picked up one RBI each and Davidson would score on a wild pitch. Maryville would answer scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th on 2 hits, however senior Matt Stephens would shut the door. Stephens would make his first appearance in the bottom of the eighth striking out two and giving up no hits and picked up one more strikeout in the bottom of the 9th.<br />
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The Lions will play the Scots in the final game of the series Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Scotland Yard. The contest will be covered with live video and live stats courtesy of the office of Sports Information at Maryville College.
