Box Score 

Demorest, GA -- The Piedmont College baseball team put up seven scores on nine hits this afternoon and got a complete game performance from its starting pitcher Caleb Cochran to sink Great South Athletic Conference rival Maryville College 7-2.  The five-run victory over the visiting Scots moves the Lions to a 17-4 record in the friendly confines of Loudermilk Field while also handing the program a GSAC regular season title for the first time in four sesasons.

Piedmont took its first lead of the day on a Kyle Davis RBI single as the junior outfielder posted a second straight two for five day at the plate.  Scoring on the play was catcher Garrett Lovelace who would make another offensive impact later in the game.

Maryville tied the ballgame up at 1's with a score in the top of the third, but Piedmont ensured that this Sunday afternoon GSAC game would sit well with returning alumni on Alumni Weekend 2011 as the Lions powered a six-run fifth to push ahead 7-1. 

Starting off the Piedmont fifth was a solo home run by Lovelace, his second bomb in his last five plate appearances, who brought his season homer total to five - three shy of the season total set by now Assistant Coach ZAC STEIN last season.  After Ethan Miers scored on a Scot mistake, outfielder Josh Bailey and designated hitter Kevin McConnell then followed that up with a pair of two-RBI doubles to give Piedmont its 7-1 advantage. 

The Lions could not be stopped offensively, but the realy story was the day of Caleb Cochran who was lights out on the mound in a gutsy complete-game performance that saw the Americus native give up just six hits on the afternoon.  Collecting a career high 12 K's, Cochran allowed two earned on those six hits putting together three different stretches where he retired five consecutive Scot batters for his third win of the 2011 season.

Maryville would snare a run in the top of the eighth, but the game had long been decided by that point as Piedmont extended its winning streak to seven straight with the last six victories of that streak coming in front of the home town fans at Loudermilk.  The Lions needed no bonus baseball this time around either dropping Maryville 7-2 in nine innings to take the 2011 GSAC regular season title.

By virtue of their first place finish in the league standings this season, the Lions will carry the top seed with them into the GSAC championship tournament to be held a the end of the month. 

The win puts the Lions at 24-12 overall and 7-1 in GSAC play on the year.  Piedmont will wrap its conference regular season and current seven game home stand with a 3:00 afternoon finale against Maryville tomorrow, April 18 at Loudermilk Field.