Demorest, GA – The Piedmont College baseball team started their three-game series with fellow USA South Athletic Conference member North Carolina Wesleyan College tonight, picking up their second extra-inning victory of the season 8-7 in 11 innings. Zach Johnson ascended into baseball glory with the walk-off single up the middle in the bottom of the 11th in just his seventh at-bat of the season.
The Lions scored first in the bottom half of the opening inning, picking up three runs on three hits. Micheal Barnes would pick up his only two RBI of the day with a single, improving his season total to a team high 12 RBI.
However, the Battling Bishops would pick up a single run in the second and third to bring the game to a 3-2 score after three innings of play. The Lions extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth on a Tyler Marcinko single that would score Keith Grabowski.
Piedmont starter Chris Goershel would pick up a no decision coming out in the sixth throwing 5.1 innings giving up two earned runs and four hits with four strikeouts. Goershel now sits in second place in the USA South in total strikeouts with 25.
The Battling Bishops would stay true to their name as they battled back scoring two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings taking a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. Brad Stinson would lead off the inning with his first triple of the 2015 season, and would score two batters later on a Griffin Olson ground out cutting the lead to one.
The men in green and gold would strike again in the bottom of the eighth as Casey Parham would score Barnes on an RBI single to knot the game at six-all heading into the ninth.
Refusing to go down without a fight, the Battling Bishops would score in the top of the ninth giving them a one-run advantage as Piedmont was facing their potential last three outs.
Olson would lead off with a single, and work his way to third on an Evan Gresham sacrifice bunt, and a Johnson groundout. With two outs, sophomore Zach Langley would step up for his first at-bat of the game with the tying run 90 feet away.
Langley would swing at the first offering and beat out a ground ball to the first baseman to send the game into extra innings, with the Lions holding onto the momentum.
The Lions called upon stellar reliever Josh Thomas, who would pick up his team leading third win of the season, to shut the door as he did not allow a base-runner facing six batters and striking out three. Thomas also leads the USA South in E.R.A. with a 0.00 showing, throwing 13.1 innings and giving up only three hits while striking out 10.
In the bottom of the 11th, Olson would lead off with a bunt single, and advanced to third on spectacular base running on a bunt single by Gresham. The sophomore Johnson stepped up to the plate with runners on the corners and nobody out.
Falling behind 0-2 in the count, Johnson gave the homestanding crowd all the reasons to celebrate blasting a single up the middle, and propelling the Lions to victory. In just his second at-bat of the day, Johnson picked up his first RBI of the 2015 season, and possibly the most influential of his career.
Gresham and Olson would lead the way for the Lions offensively both having 3-for-5 days at the plate with Olson picking up three runs and Gresham obtaining one himself. Both players picked up an RBI on the night as well.
Reliever Dillon Moore picked up the loss on the hill for N.C. Wesleyan as the Battling Bishops fell to 2-11 and 2-8 in USA South Athletic Conference play. The Lions now move to 9-4 on the season as well as 9-4 in USA South Athletic Conference play.
The Lions now sit tied for first with Methodist University in hits with 140 and first overall in doubles with 32.
