Box Score

Demorest, GA - Piedmont's offense was hitting on all cylinders, while the pitching was more than adequate in a 12-3 win over visiting Albion College Wednesday afternoon at Loudermilk Field.  The No. 10 Lions scored in every inning except the second frame, and held the Britons to just three hits on the afternoon.  Freshman pitcher Chris Goershel got the nod and delivered with a brilliant performance, going seven strong innings on the hill, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out five.

Goershel set the tone early, striking out the side in the first before Piedmont's offense scrapped across two runs in the opening frame, despite not recording a hit.  Junior Garrett Lovelace reached on a fielder's choice to get the first run home before junior Andy Waldrop drew a bases loaded walk to push the lead to 2-0.  A leadoff double for Albion led to its first run to cut the deficit in half.

The host team's offense struck again in the third, as sophomore Chris Lew hit a ground-rule double over the centerfield wall to lead off the inning.  Senior Ethan Miers lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Lew.  Junior Tate Koons drove in classmate Matt Youtsey, who had singled after the sac fly, with a double.  After Lew singled in a run the following inning, Goershel was rolling right along, in the midst of a stretch of 14 straight hitters without surrendering a hit.

The 5-1 lead was more than enough for the pitcher, but the Lions tacked on more in the home half of the fifth when senior Kyle Davis plated one with a fielder's choice out.  Sophomore Josh Bailey brought Davis in with a sac fly to left.  The eighth run for PC came with the team's third sacrifice fly, and second by Miers, in the sixth, brining in Lew who had doubled for the second time and advanced to third on a throwing error by the center fielder.  Lovelace's bat gave the Lions two more insurance runs in the seventh, singling in Bailey and Davis.

Goershel ran into his first real trouble of the game in the eighth, showing signs of fatigue as he loaded the bases on walks before departing with no one out and holding to a 10-1 lead.  Freshman Seth Schutter came in from the pen and surrendered just one of Goershel's inherited runners.  Schutter induced a huge inning-ending double play to end the threat as PC led 10-2.

The home half featured seven straight pinch hitters for the Lions, who produced three runs for good measure.  Freshman Brad Stinson collected a two-run single, then came home a bit later on a wild pitch to cap the scoring in the 13-2 win.  Piedmont totaled 13 runs on 15 hits, while giving up just two runs on three hits for the game.  The win marked the tenth of the season as PC moves to 10-3 overall prior to the second game of the night against Guilford College.

Goershel picked up the much-earned win for the men.  Lew ended 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, doubling twice.  Lovelace drove in three on two hits, scoring once as well.  Youtsey closed with two hits and two runs, while Koons also had two hits for the Lions.