DEMOREST, Ga. (March 9, 2006) -- Piedmont College starting pitcher Bill Secor carried a shutout into the ninth inning, but a two-out error on the Lions’ second baseman allowed Alex Berta (Normal, Ill.) to score from second base. Secor still managed a 5-1 victory over visiting Edgewood College on Thursday, which included 11 strikeouts by the right-handed hurler.

The Eagles (2-3) certainly had their opportunities against Secor. As a team, Edgewood was 3-for-17 at the plate with runners on base and 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Edgewood starting pitcher Cody Flynn (Eureka, Calif.) allowed four hits before being ejected prior to the start of the fourth inning for an apparent verbal exchange with the base umpire. Flynn issued a leadoff walk to Walker Searcy to begin Piedmont’s bottom half of the third. Searcy later scored on a balk initiating a three-run frame. Flynn was charged with only two earned runs.

The Lions (7-5) tacked on an insurance run in both the sixth and eighth innings to increase their lead to 5-0. Edgewood’s Bill Dictus (Combined Locks, Wis.) pitched three innings, allowing one earned run. Tom Caillouette (Wausau, Wis.) pitched the seventh and Ryan Halliburton (Dewey, Ariz.) surrendered three hits and an earned run in the bottom of the eighth.

Berta, along with Karl Reynolds (Dodgeville, Wis.) and Andrew Handorf (DeForest, Wis.), collected a pair of hits to lead the Eagles offensively.

Edgewood College will play at Piedmont again on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST at Laudermilk Field. The Eagles will then head to Disney’s Wide World of Sports near Orlando, Fla. for a seven-game stretch.