Need to Know
Game 1 Score: Piedmont 4, #17 Central 7 (F-9)
Game 2 Score: Piedmont 3, Western Connecticut 7
Records: Lady Lions 8-6, Dutch 10-4, Colonials 1-1
Location: Columbus, Georgia

Columbus, GA - The Piedmont College softball team dropped a pair of contests earlier Friday at the NFCA Leadoff Classic falling to #17 Central (IA) 7-4 in extras before dropping a 7-3 decision to Western Connecticut later in the day.

Piedmont held a 4-0 lead over the nationally ranked Dutch of Central with three of those four runs coming in the 2nd inning including two on a LAURA CARTER single.  Carter would post a 2-for-4 day against the #17 ranked Dutch before the game was out. 

Despite the lead, Piedmont saw Central rally with four runs of its it tying the game in the 6th on a wild pitch to force bonus softball.  Piedmont had a chance to end it in the 8th loading the bases with no outs and a 3-0 count in hand.  

However, the Dutch would escape the jam and explode for three runs in the top of the 9th to overcome the Lady Lions 7-4 in the opener.

Against the Colonials in the team's second game of the day, it was a three-run third and two unearned runs in the 4th that helped Western Connecticut open a 6-run lead over PC.  In the third, a two-out solo homer capped the scoring as Piedmont struggled against the Colonials following the extra-inning loss from earlier in the day.  

The Lady Lions picked up a run in the 5th and scored two more in the 7th, but could not recover from the early damage in the day's encore showing to fall 7-3.  

Turning Point
--Against Central, it was the ability of the Dutch to get out of a bases-loaded, nobody out jam one pitch away from walking in the winning run in the bottom of the 8th.
--For the second game, the Colonials capitalizing on defensive miscues in the 4th for two unearned runs that extended the lead out of reach.

Standout Performances
--ABBY SMITH went 2-for-2 against the Colonials with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored...Smith went 2-for-3 in the Central contest with a walk, RBI, and run scored. 
--LAURA CARTER went 2-for-4 in the team's first game of the day.
--JOSIE COKER was 2-for-4 with a RBI against Western Connecticut.

Inside the Box Score
--Piedmont held a 4-0 lead over Central before the Dutch rallied to force extras.
--Against Central, the Lady Lions were one ball away from being able to walk in the winning run in the bottom of the 8th.

News & Notes
--The Lady Lions posted a 4-2 record in their last trip to the NFCA Leadoff Classic with that coming during the 2013 season.

Up Next
Piedmont will play #6 Texas Lutheran in the morning at 10:00 am in the NFCA Leadoff Classic with the rest of the Lady Lions' schedule in the tourney to be determined after that game.  

How to Follow
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