Box Score Rocky Mount, NC - The Piedmont College baseball team rallied late to overcome the hosting Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan College in a one-run ball game in Carolina as PC took the first of three in the series for the two which had been delayed by weather.  PC scored two in the top of the 8th to take a 9-8 lead holding on for the final six outs to get the win in the series opener as the Lions climb to 3rd in the league standings with the win. 

Piedmont fell behind 4-0 after three innings as two Lion errors led to half the scores by the hosting Battling Bishops who were looking for their fifth conference win on the season.  However, a three-spot by PC in the top of the 4th cut the margin down to just a single run as Will Skidmore and Keith Grabowski picked up RBI singles in the inning before Skidmore was able to score himself on a wild pitch later in the inning.

NC Wesleyan added two more runs in the home half of the 4th as the Battling Bishops doubled up PC 6-3 after four complete, but Piedmont continued to battle themselves chipping away at the lead with two more runs in the 5th as Austin Brick singled in a pair as Evan Gresham and Josh Bailey scored on the play to make it 6-5 NC Wesleyan.  Bailey would score again in the 6th tying the game at 6-6 as Breck Davidson doubled him home, the 8th extra-base hit for Davidson this season.  

The Battling Bishops took a one-run lead in the home half of the 6th but it was short lived as Piedmont's Brick doubled in Michael Barnes in the top of the 7th to tie the game up for the second time in the last two innings.  NC Wesleyan tried once more to take a lead with a run coming across just after the stretch in Rocky Mount, but again Piedmont responded, this time in an even bigger way in the top of the 8th.

With six outs remaining for the Lions offensively and down a run, Piedmont would pick up a two-out single by Josh Bailey in the 8th to keep the inning alive as well as the Lions' chances of coming out with a win.  Bailey would advance on a passed ball before seeing his teammate Davidson drill a single to left allowing the senior outfielder to score and even the lights on the board at 8-8. 

After Evan Gresham singled to put two on with two out in the inning, Casey Parham came in to pinch run for Davidson and would later score as Michael Barnes singled home the pinch runner to make the score 9-8 before NC Wesleyan could get a ground out to end the inning.

With just three outs to work with, the Battling Bishops could not get going against Allen Tokarz in the bottom of the 9th as the Piedmont arm ended the game with three straight strikeouts to close the door on the hosts in a back-and-forth affair.  Tokarz got the win in relief of starter Matt Lisk who went five and two thirds allowing seven runs, five of which were earned.  Tokarz threw the final three and a third allowing just three hits and one run overall while fanning four, including the final three batters of the game.

Offensively, the team was paced by Michael Barnes who went three for four with two runs scored and an RBI as the third baseman also drew a walk.  Josh Bailey scored three times as he went two for three with a walk as well increasing his season total to 25.  Centerfielder Keith Grabowski was three for six picking up an RBI on the day as well.

Piedmont moves to 16-7 overall with the win and improve to 9-4 in conference play taking game one of the three-game series with USA South foe NC Wesleyan.  The Battling Bishops will host Piedmont for a doubleheader tomorrow set to start at noon to wrap up the modified weekend series.