DEMOREST, Ga. -- The Covenant baseball team rallied from a six-run deficit in the ninth inning of the second game on Saturday and would win 11-10 in 10 innings over host Piedmont to salvage the third game of the weekend series.
Covenant dropped the first game on Saturday, 3-2, in 11 innings as Piedmont took the series victory. The Scots go to 13-20 overall on the year and finish 6-12 in the USA South. Piedmont goes to 17-17 on the year and 7-11 in conference play.
GAME TWO: Covenant 11, Piedmont 10 (10)
Covenant trailed 10-4 entering the ninth inning, but scored six runs on six hits to tie the game and then won it with a run in the 10th for an 11-10 victory in Saturday's second game.
Luke Harvey tied a single-game program record with five hits as he went 5-for-6 with four runs scored. Caleb Bloye was 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs, while Joel Johnson finished 2-for-6 with three RBIs.
Down 10-4 in the top of the ninth, the first four batters reached for Covenant as Donny Lewis and Harvey delivered RBI hits to make it a 10-6 game. Two batters later, Johnson drove in two runs with a double making it 10-8. Alex Kerr then drove in a run with his single to make it a one-run game before a wild pitch allowed Forrest Hunter to come home with the tying run. In all, Covenant sent 12 men to the plate and scored six runs on six hits.
In the 10th, Covenant would take an 11-10 lead when a Piedmont error on Hunter's grounder to shortstop enabled Harvey to score the go-ahead run.
Ben Copeland came on with two outs in the eighth and threw the final 2.1 innings to pick up the victory. Copeland (1-0) allowed just one hit and struck out two in his appearance.
Piedmont built a 3-0 lead early in the game and led 4-2 before Bloye's two-run home run, his fourth of the year, in the seventh. The host Lions answered with two runs in the home half of the seventh and then four in the eighth to grab a 10-4 lead.
Hunter and Kerr also had two hits apiece for Covenant as the Scots out-hit Piedmont 18-11 in the contest.
Piedmont was led by Griffin Caracciallo's three RBIs and 2-for-4 effort at the plate. Bryan Whitacre (0-1) got the loss as he went 1.2 innings in relief.
GAME ONE: Piedmont 3, Covenant 2 (11)
In game one, Covenant's Drew Bradley and Piedmont's Sam Carpenter were locked in a pitcher's duel, but Piedmont outlasted the Scots with a 3-2 victory in 11 innings.
Piedmont struck first with two runs in the second, both coming on Griffin Olson's single. After being stymied at the plate through the first four innings by Carpenter, Covenant broke through in the fifth as Devin Cerrato led off with a triple and scored on Tyler Moore's RBI ground out to make it 2-1. With two away, Harvey singled and later stole second before scoring on a Piedmont error to tie the game at 2-2.
Both teams had limited opportunities through the late innings. Piedmont put a runner at third with two outs in the ninth, but Covenant reliever Ross Skipper got Collin Grant to strike out to end the threat and send the game into extra innings.
The Lions would come away with the win in the 11th as a two-base error allowed Tyler Burdette to score the game-winning run from second giving Piedmont a 3-2 victory.
Bradley went six innings allowing two runs on six hits, while striking out five. Carpenter for Piedmont lasted eight innings and surrendered one earned run on six hits with five strikeouts. Sam Doherty (1-1) got the loss for Covenant, while Buddy Green (3-2) received the win for the Lions.
Harvey and Hunter were each 2-for-5 at the plate. Johnson saw his 15-game hitting streak end after going 0-for-5.
UP NEXT
Covenant travels to Sewanee for a doubleheader on Tuesday. Game one is set for 1 p.m. CDT (2 p.m. EDT).
CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS
Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information. To receive text alerts with score updates or e-newsletters, click here
