BREVARD, N.C. — In the 2020 USA South opener, the Piedmont College baseball team rolled to an 11-2 victory over Brevard on the road Friday afternoon.
Sam Carpenter earned his first win of the 2020 season pitching eight innings allowing six hits, two runs (one earned) and striking out 11 batters.
Carpenter tossed a clean first inning then got rattled a bit in the second giving up two runs on three hits including a homerun. The Tornados took a 2-0 lead, but momentum was short-lived as Piedmont answered back with five runs in the top of the third on four hits.
After three walks, a double, a sac fly and a wild pitch, the Tornados starter was chased from the mound after tossing 2.1 innings. The Tornados struggled on the mound using a total of seven pitchers.
Piedmont's momentum continued in the top of the fourth with another three runs all coming with two outs. A pair of errors helped the Lions' cause as Harrison Trawick reached after being hit by a pitch, stole second and then advanced to third on a throwing error. Trawick scored on a Jonathen Burkett single making it 6-2.
Carpenter got back into rhythm allowing no more than one hit an inning following the second inning. Nathan Boyce pitched the ninth for the Lions going three up, three down and struck out the final batter.
The Lions were held scoreless in the fifth despite a leadoff single by Carter Ballstadt, but added another pair of runs on two hits in the sixth inning. Piedmont added one final run in the ninth inning off one hit and one error.
