NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont 5, Oglethorpe 2
Records: Piedmont, 3-1; Oglethorpe 1-3

ATLANTA, Ga. – Three home runs and a triple highlighted another impressive win for the Piedmont University baseball team as the Lions earned their third-consecutive win with a 5-3 victory at Oglethorpe on Tuesday night.
 
Piedmont hit safely eight times in the game with five of those hits going for extra bases, vaulting the Lions to their eighth-straight win in the series over the Stormy Petrels.
 
The first two hits for Piedmont also opened the scoring as HUNTER CAIN and KYLE CARLSON slapped back-to-back home runs to left field, marking the second time in the young season that Piedmont has gone back-to-back (ALEX GONZALEZ and Cain on 2/12).
 
The home run for Carlson marked the first of his collegiate career.
 
After allowing one run in the bottom of the fourth, Piedmont responded with yet another long ball, this time a solo shot from CARTER BALLSTADT, his second of the season.
 
Freshman righthander BRADEN SIMMS started on the hill for the Lions and did not get the start he wanted after allowing a single and a hit by pitch to start the game. But, after working out of his early jam, Simms settled in a delivered a quality start in his collegiate debut.
 
Simms allowed just the one earned run in the fifth inning while giving up just three hits in his five innings of work. He struck out six Stormy Petrel hitters in his outing before giving way to NATHAN BOYCE.
 
Boyce pitched a clean sixth before allowing an Oglethorpe run in the bottom of the seventh to bring the score to 3-2. TYLER ROON would get the final two outs in the seventh before pitching a clean eighth inning to preserve Piedmont's lead.
 
The ninth inning once again belonged to Ballstadt as the senior smacked a two-out, two-RBI triple to left centerfield, scoring JACK GILSENAN and TYLER NELSON to extend the lead to 5-3.
 
Ballstadt would come on for the save in the bottom half of the inning and managed to limit Oglethorpe to just one run in the frame to hang on for another close Piedmont win.
 
TURNING POINT:
-- With two outs in the ninth, Gilsenan doubled to right centerfield to keep the inning alive, ultimately setting up Ballstadt's two-run triple to give the Lions their two all-important insurance runs.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
-- BRADEN SIMMS pitched 5.0 innings in his collegiate debut while striking out six and allowing just one earned run.
--CARTER BALLSTADT went 2-for-5 at the place with three RBIs, a home run, and a triple while also earning his first save of the season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
-- Piedmont's pitchers totaled seven strikeouts and just three free passes (1 BB, 2 HBPs) in the contest.
-- HUNTER CAIN has two home runs this season, both part of a back-to-back sequence.

UP NEXT:
-- The Lions head to Millington, Tennessee this Friday, February 18, for a neutral site contest with Webster. Game time is TBA.

HOW TO FOLLOW:
- To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont University Athletics, be sure to visit PiedmontLions.com and connect with the Green and Gold on social media. Follow the Lions on Twitter: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, and Facebook. To follow each Piedmont athletic program on social media, use the Social Media Directory at PiedmontLions.com or click here.