Demorest, GA – For the second time this season, the Lady Lion softball team swept a home doubleheader and did so in exciting fashion winning on a walk-off in game one and rallying from behind in the second contest to sweep Salem. Piedmont took game one 1-0 before coming from behind to win 7-5 in the finale.
Jessica Bagwell continued her impressive streak as the freshman currently has the second best batting average on the team at .483 after going 4-for-6 in the doubleheader with an RBI and a run scored.
Game 1: Piedmont 1, Salem 0
It was a defensive battle with a total of eight hits in the game, but the Lady Lions got one when it mattered coming up with a walk-off win thanks to senior Abby Atkinson. This is the second walk-off win of the season with the first coming just a few days ago against LaGrange at Walker Athletic Complex.
Sarah Walker again pitched lights out against the Spirits tossing a complete game giving up just four hits in the shutout with a single walk and six strikeouts. The Lady Lions scattered four hits including one in the first inning but could not string anything together until the seventh inning of the contest.
In the final inning, Avery Migues pinch hit for Britanny Futral and was walked to start the rally.Hayden Savage was inserted as a pinch runner as she is known for her speed on the bases.
Allyson Gentry singled to advance Savage putting two runners on for senior Whitney Wolfe who extended the inning reaching first on a bunt to load the bases.
The golden opportunity came for senior Abby Atkinson who capitalized on the bases loaded situation to drive in Savage for the game-winning walk-off single. It marked her 10th hit of the season and sixth RBI.
Game 2: Piedmont 7, Salem 5
It took two runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to come from behind against the Spirits but Piedmont rallied to win 7-5 and rose to the occasion to take both games Saturday. The Lady Lions took advantage of the GSAC’s Pitcher of the Week, Salem’s Lauryn Smith, as she pitched the complete game in the loss.
It was all Spirits early as they jumped out to a quick starting putting two on the board in the first inning, but Piedmont answered back as Laura Carter came around to score off a Bagwell double to cut it to 2-1 after the first.
Salem continued its dominance in the second inning putting up another three runs and forcing Coach Terry Martin into a pitching change. Those three were the last the Lady Lions would surrender on the day though.
It was not until the third inning that the Lady Lions’ bats got hot, but after Abby Atkinson was walked, Carter singled to put two runners on. They both stole a base and reached scoring position, then Atkinson scored on a wild pitch to push the first run of the inning across. Carter would later score and cut the lead to 5-3.
The Lady Lions got right back to business in the bottom of the fourth pushing across two more runs as Abby Vaughn doubled and later scored as well as Amber Triguero, who entered as a pinch runner for Brittany Futral after she reached on an error, tying the game at five.
In the fifth, Piedmont took the lead for good scoring twice more as Bagwell doubled again and scored on an Abby Smith double, then Smith scored on a wild pitch two batters later.
Piedmont pitchers held the Spirits to a three-up, three-down inning four times in the game. This moves the Lady Lions record to 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the USA South with their next contest scheduled for tomorrow.
Piedmont is taking on Fontbonne tomorrow at Walker Athletic Complex with the first pitch scheduled for noon.
