Box Score
Maryville, TN -- The Piedmont College baseball team pulled off the unthinkable yet again with their second straight come-from-behind victory tapping another late rally to take a 5-4 victory over the Hawks of Huntingdon College in the 2011 Great South Athletic Conference championship baseball game earlier this afternoon. The Lions erased a 4-0 deficit in the bottom of the eighth before snaring a walk-off win in the bottom of the 11th to take their first GSAC crown since 2008.
PC's title hopes appeared to be dwindling earlier this afternoon as a four run Huntingdon advantage appeared to have the two headed for a second and decisive championship game. However, the Lions were not ready to give in game one quite yet as the tournament's top seeded squad looked for more late inning magic trailing 4-0 to the Hawks into the eighth inning.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Piedmont found exactly the momentum they were looking for as experienced seniors
Curtis Cornett and
Kevin McConnell drew back-to-back walks to lead off the PC eighth giving the Lions two baserunners and hope as well. Catcher
Garrett Lovelace then legged a rare infield single to put even more pressure on the Hawks bullpen loading the bases for PC's best scoring chance of the day.
After Huntingdon kept Cornett at third on a Lion fly ball, pinch hitter
Chris Lew stepped into the box to ensure the Lions would get a runner across when he drilled a single to left field scoring his frist baseman teammate for PC's first score. After a fielder's choice got McConnell across the plate to cut the Hawks' lead in half, a two-base throwing error allowed two more Lions to score and tie the game at 4-4 completing a dramatic four-run eighth inning rally.
With Piedmont having closed the gap in the tightly matched contest, the Lions called upon closer
Matt Collins to keep the runs off Huntingdon's part of the scoreboard - a task that the senior was more than up to as he tossed three scoreless innings in the ninth, tenth, and 11th for PC. With their veteran pitcher stepping up in an extra-inning affair yet again in the 2011 season, it was up to the bats of Piedmont to end the game with a possible walk-off to the GSAC crown.
The Lions began to rally once more in the bottom of the 11th as freshman
Josh Bailey singled to lead off the PC half of the extra frame and moved into scoring position on a Hawk wild pitch one batter later. However, the Piedmont effort looked to be coming to an end as the next two Lions batters were retired in order with Bailey appearing to be left stranded in scoring position.
The senior McConnell then dug into the box once more hoping to help Bailey get in for the game winner by making solid contact on a Hawk pitch. The veteran DH did just that slow rolling a Huntingdon slider shy of the shortstop spot which was then thrown away for a error that scored Bailey from third base on a do-or-die play as the Lions laid claim to their first GSAC title in baseball since the 2008 season capping a brilliant run to end 2011.
Getting the win on the mound was the senior Collins who went three innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball striking out three along the way. For Bailey, scoring the game-winning run was the freshman outfielder's second straight involvement in a walk-off win as his two-RBI single against the host Maryville College last night gave the Lions their spot in today's title game. Bailey's efforts on the weekend had him named tournament MVP of the 2011 GSAC baseball championships.
The Lions now sit at 30-13 overall while finishing the GSAC tournament with a flawless 3-0 showing. The 30-win season is just the second in Piedmont's NCAA era which began with the 2004 season. The Lions will now await word on their chances at a possible NCAA National Tournament berth with the selection release set for May 16 on www.ncaa.com.
