Diamond Cougars Fall In Opening Round

The Piedmont Academy baseball team pushed Robert Toombs to the limit before falling in a best-of-three opening-round state baseball series.

Robert Toombs, a No. 1 seed, needed three games to eliminate Piedmont last week. In the opener, Robert Toombs took a 10-5 win before Piedmont rallied for a 6-5 victory in the second contest.
In game two, the Cougars, who were the designated home team, trailed 5-4 going into their final at bat. With the bases loaded, Hunter Knox walked to tie the score and Josh Brennan was then hit by a pitch to allow the winning run to score.
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Cole Hamilton had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning and held a 4-2 lead. Robert Toombs managed to then push three runs across on a homer and appeared set to win the series on day one.

“All of a sudden, it seemed like his great pitching effort was going to be lost,” Piedmont coach Danny Camp said. “However, we were able to rally and kept the series going. To have a three-run homer hit off you and still not give up said a lot about our team.”
In the third and deciding game, Robert Toombs led 4-3 going into the sixth and managed to push an insurance run across. Piedmont had runners on first and second in the seventh but could not tie the score.

“We had our opportunities,” Camp said. “We went out there and played well. We weren’t intimidated. We did a lot of positive things. We have great things to look forward to. I am so proud of how we performed. We showed heart. This is a special group of players.”

The Cougar coach credited Robert Toombs but also was impressed with what his team did last week. “They are a good team,” Camp said. “However, we grew up. There were so many positive things we did. We picked the right time to play our best baseball of the season. We had chances to win the series, there’s no doubt about that.”

Piedmont will host its spring sports banquet Thursday at 1:15 p.m., Camp said.