Cougars Defeat an Old Rival

The latest chapter in the Piedmont-Gatewood rivalry took place on the baseball diamond last week as the Cougars took a 7-5 road win against the host Gators.

In last Thursday’s contest, Piedmont (6-3) scored three runs in the top of the first inning to take control early. The Cougars, who never trailed in the contest, added four more runs in the top of the fifth inning and took a 7-2 lead into the seventh inning.

Gatewood managed three runs in the bottom of the seventh but could not catch Piedmont.

It was another strong pitching performance by junior Nick Gervasio who went six innings with eight strikeouts. Noah Doolittle closed out the seventh with one strikeout.

“We played really well,” said Coach Casey Moody. “Nick did a great job mixing up his pitches.”

At the plate, Jack Adams was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs. Zach Simmons drove in two runs and also scored twice. Simmons’ homer helped set the tone for the Cougars, his coach said.

Mason Tumlin had one RBI while Alex Statham had an RBI and run. Tyler Criswell had a double and Brayden Ross drove in a run.

“Our batters had really good approaches at the plate,” Moody said. “We forced their pitchers to throw fastballs in the zone.”

The Cougars, who have now won four consecutive games, will return to action today against Trinity Christian School-Dublin on the road at 5 p.m. Piedmont will host a doubleheader Saturday against Strong Rock Christian beginning at 1 p.m.