BEREA, Ky. — The No. 19 Piedmont College baseball team earned a 13-1 win over Berea College Friday to open a three-game USA South series.
The Lions win came in eight innings thanks to a final run in the top of the inning.
Gainesville's Sam Carpenter moved to 4-0 on the mound with his seven complete allowing five hits and one run. He also struck out six batters as he continues to lead the USA South in strikeouts by nearly 20.
Tyler Sheley began the game with a double followed by a Brady Ballstadt single, but the two were stranded in the first along with Tyler Burdette who was walked. After leaving the bases loaded in the first inning, the Lions were able to capitalize in the second after Zachary Swindell hit a triple, then scored on an error that allowed Sheley to reach.
Carpenter allowed two of his five hits in the first inning then proceeded to shut down the Mountaineers in the second with a 1-2-3 inning. In the third, timely hitting allowed the Mountaineers to plate a run after a leadoff triple to tie the game at 1-1.
Piedmont began an onslaught of runs in the fourth inning as the Lions would score in each frame through the duration of the contest. In the top of the fourth, three errors combined with two walks and a single scored two runs to claim the lead.
The Lions would add two in the fifth, one in the sixth then would bust it open in the seventh with a six-run inning. The Lions managed six runs on just one hit and one error. There were five walks in the inning leading up to HARRISON TRAWICK's bases-clearing double to make it 12-1.
Berea was unable to match any of the Lions' success as Piedmont tacked on one more in the eighth to force a run-rule victory. Carpenter earned the win while Barrett Courtwright closed out the contest in the eighth inning with one hit.
Up next, the series continues between these two Saturday with a single contest at 2 p.m.
TURNING POINT:
– Piedmont scored in every inning from the fourth through the eighth including a six-run seventh inning on just one hit.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– Harrison Trawick had the lone hit in the seventh inning with a bases-clearing double to left giving the freshman just the second double of his career.
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NEWS AND NOTES:
– Piedmont had just seven hits to Berea's six.
– The Lions are now 18-6 overall.
