MEMPHIS, Tenn. (February 19, 2022) - The Piedmont Lions and Rhodes Lynx played to a tie on Saturday afternoon, 5-5, at Stauffer Field. While the two teams were warming up for the tenth inning, both head coaches decided to call the game due to impending darkness. With an already tight schedule for the weekend, trying to play the final innings would prove to be too much. Rhodes moves to 2-2-1 with the result, while Piedmont sits at 3-2-1.

Rhodes was the first to strike when Dante Messina led off the second with a triple. Two batters later, he was brought in on a Will Heurtin sac fly to right. Piedmont got the run back, and then some, in the top of the third. A leadoff single and a walk put two men on with one out. Carter Ballstadt then launched a ball over the fence for a three-run dinger. The lead evaporated quickly in the bottom half when John McNair and Wood Kimbrough picked up RBI in consecutive at bats to tie the score at three. 

After started CJ Carron struck out two in the top of the fourth, Peter York helped his pitcher in the bottom half. He singled to left, stole second base, and moved to third on Heurtin single. He was then brought in on a fielder's choice from Bryce Anderson to give Rhodes the 4-3 lead. They would hold the advantage until the top of the sixth when the Lions scored two unearned runs aided by a throwing error on a sac bunt play. In the bottom of the seventh, back to back walks put Rhodes in position to make a move. A double play ball soured their mood, but it was the upperclassman York coming through yet again with a single through the right side that plated McNair to knot the score at five. 

Both teams put two men on in the eighth, but couldn't push them across. Things then got wild in the bottom of the ninth. Messina singled to lead things off, and was pinch-run for with speedster Ben Burkhart. Burkhart stole second and made it to third on an errant throw with nobody out. with the infield in, York grounded out to second for the first out. Heurtin then hit a comebacker to the Piedmont pitcher who was able to tag Burkhart and end the threat. 

Both teams will be back in action on Sunday. Rhodes will face Webster at 2:00 pm at Stauffer Field on campus. Piedmont will play the morning game against Concordia Chicago at 10:30am fbefore heading back to Georgia.