Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

Demorest, GA - Piedmont earned a split with Berry College at home Friday night at Walker Field, taking a 3-2 win in the opener before forcing extras and falling 9-5 in 10 innings in game two.  The home crowd witnessed the Lady Lions losing a lead before scoring late for the win, while also watching the hosts make a desperate comeback to force extra softball, only to unravel in the 10th inning.

The Lady Lions held a 2-0 lead for much of the first game until a two-run homer by Berry's biggest power hitter, as the cleanup hitter drilled a two-run homer in the sixth to tie the game.  Piedmont didn't wait long to retaliate and reclaim the lead, as the home team brought in the winning run on a misplayed popup by the second baseman.  Sophomore Brittney Head picked up her 14th win of the season, going the complete game in the circles, allowing just five hits and no walks while striking out six.  She retired the side in order in the final frame to secure the 20th win of the year for the women, marking the 11th time in 14 seasons head coach Terry Martin has eclipsed the 20-win plateau.

Piedmont's two initial runs came in the opening frame off one swing of the bat.  After junior Taylor Morgan doubled to left center and fellow junior Megan McClain reached on an infield single and stole second, sophomore Lauren Head singled right back up the middle to bring in both runs and give the Lady Lions early momentum.  McClain led the offense with a pair of hits and two stolen bases, while Morgan tallied her fifth double.

In the nightcap, both sides brought a run home in the first frame.  Senior Emily Cheek singled in a run to tie the game, which remained knotted at one until the top of the fifth when the visiting Lady Vikings scratched across a pair.  Sophomore starter Amanda Posey was roughed up for three runs, two earned, in four-plus innings, allowing seven hits and four walks to just one strikeout.  Down 3-1, the Lady Lions staged a comeback late.  In the home half of the fifth, freshman Kristin Hamby tripled to deep right to lead off the inning.  A groundout by Posey made it a 3-2 game.  An inning later, after Morgan singled to get things started, Cheek knocked a double off the centerfield wall.  Morgan scampered in all the way from first, making an excellent slide at home to avoid the tag from the relay throw.  Piedmont had tied the game at three, but left runners stranded on second and third going into the seventh.

After neither team could produce a score in the final inning of regulation, the game went into extra innings.  Piedmont had multiple opportunities to end the game, leaving the bases full in the eighth and having a runner thrown out for the third out of the inning in both the seventh and ninth innings.  Head took the loss in game two, coming in relief of sophomore Megan Studdard.  Head issued six runs, all coming in the tenth inning, but none were earned after the women committed a slew of errors.  Although PC had five errors in the second game, it also played some of its better defense, led by freshman centerfielder Symone Ball, who made a sensational diving catch to end the second inning. 

A six-run tenth gave Berry College a 9-3 padding going into the bottom half, while the Lady Lions chipped away with a pair of unearned runs on the way to the 9-5 loss.  The top of the lineup did the most damage for the women, as Ball, Morgan and Cheek all pounded out two hits, with Cheek coming up with a pair of RBI, giving her a team-best 24 on the season.  The split leaves the Lady Lions at 20-10 going into their final regular-season Great South Athletic Conference matchup with Agnes Scott College at home Sunday, with a double header start time of 2:00 pm.