Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 One-Run Decisions Go Lions' Way
DEMOREST, Ga. – A first-place clash in the USA South resulted in Piedmont taking a pair of one-run decisions from Maryville on Thursday afternoon.
The host Lions took the opener 7-6 in eight innings and then won 4-3 in the nightcap. Piedmont boosted its winning streak to 11 games in climbing to 17-8 overall and 6-0 in conference. The Scots dropped to 13-13 and 4-2.
Maryville in Game 1 fell behind 4-0 and 5-1 before rallying to tie the game and send it to extras.
The Scots were down 4-0 in the third when a Jenica Brown groundout plated Amaya Goodloe to get the Maryville scoring underway. Down 5-1 in the fifth, Goodloe delivered an RBI-single and then Brown followed with a sacrifice fly. After a walk to Kaitlin Woodruff, Sara Koonce narrowed the margin to 5-4 with an RBI-groundout.
Maryville tied it in its last at bat when Koonce laced a two-out RBI-single to right center, scoring Brown. The Lions threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but Maryville's Megan Ackerman got out of the jam.
International Tiebreaker
In the eighth, using the international tiebreaker rule, the Scots scored their runner from second when Ava Whitmire ripped a single to left that plated Campbell White.
But Piedmont in the last of the eighth went single, single, double to claim the 7-6 victory.
Goodloe had a pair of hits in three trips to lead the Scots, and both Brown and Koonce drove in two. The Lions had three hitters – Rebekah Stegmayer, Kaitlin Isley and Emma McBrayer – with three hits apiece as they outhit the Scots 12-8.
McBrayer was the winning pitcher for Piedmont, improving to 8-1. Ackerman took the loss for Maryville and is now 9-7.
In Game 2, it was another early lead for Piedmont and another Maryville comeback effort. This time, the Lions scored three times in the second inning off Scots pitcher Kennedy Henry. All three of those runs were unearned.
Maryville got back in the game with two runs in the third as Goodloe, Brown and Woodruff all singled to start the frame. Koonce drove home one run when her ground ball to shortstop was booted, and then Emily Hill followed with a sac fly to center.
Piedmont added an important run in the third for a 4-2 lead, offsetting Maryville's single tally in the fifth that scored when Koonce tripled with one out and Hill singled her home.
The Scots left Hill on the bases in the fifth, two more on in the sixth and loaded the bases in the seventh but could not score the tying run in the 4-3 result.
Big Day for Goodloe
Goodloe went 3-for-3 in Game 2 and was 5-for-6 on the day with two runs scored, while Brown had a couple of hits in the nightcap and went a combined 3-for-7. Maryville outhit Piedmont 11-9 in Game 2.
Henry took the tough-luck loss and fell to 3-2. Martina Maloch was the winning pitcher for Piedmont and is now 7-4, with McBrayer coming on to get the final out and earning her second save.
Saturday's home doubleheader against Wesleyan has been moved to Sunday. Start time is noon.
