NEED TO KNOW:
Game 1 Score: Arcadia 2, Piedmont 1
Game 2 Score: Christopher Newport 7, Piedmont 4
Records: Piedmont, 2-2; Arcadia; 1-1; CNU, 6-0
 
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Piedmont College softball team battled but fell in a pair of heartbreakers to Arcadia and No. 2 Christopher Newport on day one of the Raleigh Grand Slam Tournament on Friday.
 
The Lady Lions (2-2) fell a run short in the morning against Arcadia (1-1) before battling the second-ranked Captains (6-0) for six innings and letting them pull away with a late grand slam.
 
Game 1: Arcadia 2, Piedmont 1
In its opening game of the tournament, Piedmont was unable to generate much on the offensive end, mustering just two hits against Knights starter Kylee Schwind.
 
Sophomore right-hander MARTINA MALOCH pitched an outstanding game for the Lady Lions, taking a hard-luck loss with six innings of two-run ball.
 
Arcadia struck for a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the third inning but PC rallied back to cut its deficit in half with a run in the fifth on MICAELA QUESADA's RBI single.
 
However, that was all the Lady Lions would take off of Schwind, who fired a complete game two-hitter to earn the win in Arcadia's season opener.
 
Game 2: No. 2 Christopher Newport 7, Piedmont 4
The Lady Lions battled the second-ranked Captains all the way to the end, but were doomed by a seventh inning grand slam.
Piedmont struck first with a run in the bottom of the second on a TK SAULS RBI single.
 
PC starter ABBEY ARRINGTON delivered three shutout innings to start her afternoon, but a hit by pitch and a walk forced her exit from the contest.
 
CNU then struck on a two RBI double against new pitcher MADDY HOLLOWAY as the Captains took a lead they never relinquished.
 
After Christopher Newport added an insurance run in the top of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead, Quesada delivered a solo home run to cut Piedmont's deficit to a single run.
 
However, CNU's grand slam from Kaitlyn Hasty in the top of the seventh broke the game open, giving the Lady Lions a four-run deficit with three outs left.
 
PC continued to fight until the last out as newcomers KATELYN PERRY and MACKENZIE DAVIS delivered RBI doubles to make the final score a three-run margin.
 
TURNING POINT:
- In game one, it was a pair of unearned runs by the Knights in the third inning that proved to be the difference.
- Against CNU, Kaitlyn Hasty's seventh inning grand slam broke the game open.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
 - Freshman MICAELA QUESADA delivered her first career home run in game two while driving in PC's lone run in game one.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW:
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