Box Score Roanoke
Box Score NC Wesleyan
Box Score Methodist

Fayetteville, NC - The Lady Lions bounced back from Friday morning's loss to Salisbury, taking the first of three games Saturday, an 8-4 win over North Carolina Wesleyan College.  Piedmont then proceeded to drop the next two games of the Early Bird Tournament held by Methodist University.

The Lady Lions move to 3-3 following the 1-3 record in the tournament.  The high point of course was the four-run win over the Battling Bishops.  It was senior Emily Cheek who shined for Piedmont, belting a 2-run homerun in the first inning.  Freshman Abby Atkinson drew a walk with the bases loaded to put the women up 3-1 in the fourth, but the bases were left full.

Junior Taylor Morgan added to the lead with an RBI double in the fifth, plating classmate Megan McClain.  Cheek went back to work right after with a base knock to give the Lady Lions a 5-1 advantage.  After NC Wesleyan added a run to cut the lead to just three, Piedmont battled back with a three-run sixth.  With two on and one away, McClain laced a double that scored both runners, but she was thrown out stretching for a triple.  After Morgan singled, then advanced to third on another hit by Cheek, the outfielder stole home for Piedmont's eighth run.

The Battling Bishops wouldn't go without a fight, loading the bases in the final frame with no one out.  A fielder's choice got one run home, just seconds after another fielder's choice resulted in a double play.  NC Wesleyan cut the lead in half with a two-out RBI single, but 8-4 was the final as the Lady Lions were able to induce a groundout for the game's last out.  Cheek and McClain each had three hits in the win, with three and two RBI, respectively.  Morgan and sophomore Lauren Head gathered two hits apiece. 

Freshman Kasey Headrick picked up the complete game win in the circle.  Piedmont dropped the next contest, 3-0 to Roanoke College.  But the third game of the day and fourth of the tournament saw a PC loss, 7-3, to the host team Methodist University.  The Lady Monarchs fell behind early, as sophomores Amanda Posey and Head wrapped RBI singles in the first to go up 2-0.

However, two errors in the home half proved costly for the Lady Lions, as Methodist notched the game.  The contest remained tied at two until the top of the fifth, when Piedmont got an unearned run off an error.  The lead wouldn't last long.  In fact, the women surrendered four runs in the next half inning, and one in the sixth.  Head ended with two of the Lady Lions' four hits in the contest.  Posey went five innings in the circle, picking up the tough loss.

The Lady Lions move to 3-3 on the season and will next play in the Greensboro College Invitational March 3-4.  Piedmont will play Marietta College in a two-game set before playing host school Greensboro in a two-game set on the last day.