The Emory University baseball team evened its weekend series with Piedmont University on Saturday, taking the middle game of the three-game set by a 7-5 score at Loudermilk Field in Demorest, Georgia.

The Eagles were led by another superb pitching performance from sophomore Josh Zuckerman and home runs from junior Matthew Sicoli and senior Jacob Grossman to improve to 10-8 on the season. With the defeat, the Lions fell to 9-6.

Zuckerman struck out 11 batters for the second time in his last three stats as he earned his third straight win. The second-year right-hander worked 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks. He carried a shutout into the fourth inning and saw his only blemish come in his final inning of work.

After being held to just two hits on Thursday, the Emory offense rebounded in a big way as the Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead with four hits in the first inning. Sicoli provided the big blast in the inning as he homered three batters into the contest. With two outs, senior Steven Hunt added another run, scoring junior Jack Halloran with a single.

By the end of the visitor half of the fourth, the Eagles saw their lead expand to 6-0 as Grossman hit the scoreboard in left center with his two-run shot in the third inning and tacked on another RBI an inning later with a single. The Eagles led 7-1 through five when sophomore Zach Wasserlauf picked up a run-scoring single of his own.

Piedmont sliced into the Emory lead with three runs in the sixth, with all three runs scoring with two outs.

One inning later, the Lions made it a two-run game as Nathan Mix delivered an RBI groundout in the first at-bat against senior Matthew Culbert. Following the groundout, Culbert retired the next hitter to get out of the frame. In the eighth, Culbert escaped another Piedmont threat as he got out of the jam after the Lions saw two batters reach with two outs. The Lions saw one batter reach in the ninth but Culbert sent down the final two hitters via strikeout and groundout to collect his first career save.

Emory and Piedmont will close out the series on Sunday with the rubber game beginning at 2:00 PM in Demorest.