Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

Demorest, GA - On a day when the pitching struggled and offense flourished, No. 5 Piedmont earned a split against visiting Covenant College on Saturday afternoon at home, taking game one 15-6, due in large part to a seven-run seventh and four-run eighth, before taking a 13-8 game two loss.  A grand total of 42 runs were scored on the day as the Lions' game one win gave them a series win over the Great South Athletic Conference opponents.  The men won the opener 3-2 Thursday night with a 10th inning walkoff single.

The bats of seniors Kyle Davis and Curtis Cornett, along with junior Garrett Lovelace, led the way.  Davis and Cornett notched six hits in the two games combined, while Lovelace had three in the finale, including a two-run homer in the seventh.  Senior Caleb Cochran pitched his way to his fifth win of the year in the day's first game.

Game one saw the Lions down 1-0 after a Covenant first inning run, but Piedmont struck back with three runs in the second on RBI singles by junior Tate Koons and sophomore Josh Bailey, as well as a run scored on a wild pitch.  However, the Scots took advantage on an error in the fifth and piled on a few runs as Cochran had trouble getting out of a jam.  Bailey drove in the tying run in the sixth to make it 4-4 as the Lions stranded a pair in an attempt to reclaim the lead.

The next two frames featured 11 runs from the host team, including a seven-spot in the seventh, as 11 hitters came to the plate.  Davis and Cornett both had two-run singles in the huge inning, while Cornett was the one who started the whole rally with a leadoff double.  Things continued to get better for the Lions in the next inning, when junior Matt Youtsey drove in a run prior to a two-run triple by Davis, his second of the game.  Bailey, on cue, brought in Davis to push the lead to 15-6.  

Davis went 3-for-3 at the plate with four RBI on two triples, a stolen base, two walks and two runs scored.  Bailey had three hits, three RBI, a stolen base, run and walk to boot.  Cornett's opening line featured a 4-for-6 game with a pair of RBI and a run scored, with a double.  The trio accounted for 10 of the 16 Piedmont hits, while senior Ethan Miers had two hits, including a double.  Cochran went seven innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out 11 Covenant hitters.

The first inning woes continued for the Lions as they gave up three to start game two, a contest in which they never even had a share of the lead.  The closest the men would get came after a two-run seventh made it a 7-6 game, right before the Scots continued to punish the Lions' pitching with four runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth.  The two-run shot by Lovelace in the seventh stanza gave PC new life just before Covenant put the game out of reach.

The Lions tallied two more runs in the eighth in a last comeback attempt, but the Scots matched that in the top of the next inning, ensuring Piedmont of a double-header split. Davis had three more hits in the second game, going 6-for-8 on the day, doubling in the loss, while Cornett added two more to finish 6-for-11.  Senior Kevin D'Antignac racked in a double and two RBI in the second game effort.  Piedmont's split pushed its record to 18-6 and 2-1 in GSAC competition.  The Lions return to action on the road with a matchup against non-conference opponent Sewanee-University of the South Wednesday night at 7:30 as Piedmont's 20-game homestand has finally come to an end.