Piedmont blanks Panthers to clinch GSAC regular season title
April 18, 2008

Piedmont, behind Spencer Shelton, shut down LaGrange's high-scoring offense for a 5-0 win Friday night at Cleaveland Field. The game was the first of a three-game GSAC series between the Lions and the Panthers.

Piedmont (28-8, 6-1 GSAC), ranked 10th nationally, clinched the GSAC regular season title with the win. The Lions will be the top-seed in next week's GSAC Championship Tournament that will be played at Cleaveland Field.

Shelton (6-0) blanked the Panthers (21-16, 3-4 GSAC) on five hits. He walked three and struck out three. Eric Medlock (4-3) pitched his third straight complete game for the Panthers. Medlock allowed seven hits and only two of the runs were earned. He walked three and struck out six.

Piedmont got an unearned run in the third to go up 1-0. The Lions added two runs in the fifth and closed out the scoring with two unearned runs in the ninth.

The Panthers threatened in the sixth and seventh but stranded two base runners in each inning.

In the sixth, Michael Sims reached on a fielder's choice and then stole second. Seth Tucker beat out an infield hit as Sims moved over to third. But Shelton got Patrick Langley to fly out to end the inning. Robbie Shelton doubled down the left field line with one out in the seventh. After Jimmy Statler reached on a fielder's choice, Shelton got the final two outs to end the threat.  

The two teams play Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. The Panthers' first baseball team from 1984 will honored in pre-game ceremonies before the game.