NEED TO KNOW:
Game 1 Score: Emory 8, Piedmont 1
Game 2 Score: Emory 4, Piedmont 3
Records: Emory, 3-1; Piedmont 5-7

DEMOREST, Ga.  – Piedmont College's softball team dropped a pair of games on Saturday afternoon to Emory College despite a late rally coming up short in game two.

The Lady Lions were originally slated to begin their conference slate with a doubleheader versus LaGrange, but picked up this series with Emory during the middle of the week when Covid-19 protocols postponed the series with the Panthers.

Piedmont struggled defensively in the first leg of the doubleheader as a couple of big innings for the Eagles were sparked by Piedmont errors.

The teams were tied at 1-1 entering the fourth inning of game one, but the Eagles managed to push across five runs on three hits and three errors to blow the lead open. They followed that up with two more runs in the third inning thanks to two more hits and another pair of Piedmont errors.

Emory led 8-1 after five innings and held onto that lead for the duration of game one. Only one of Emory's eight runs against Piedmont starter EMMA MCBRAYER was earned. McBrayer suffered the loss and dropped to 3-4 on the season.

Piedmont was held to just three hits in game one by Emory starter Madison Shaefer but had better luck at the plate in a much closer game two.
The Lady Lions got on the board first in the second contest when three straight hits resulted in an RBI single for McBrayer as REBEKAH STEGMAYER came around to score after a leadoff single.

Emory evened the score up in the third inning, and the score stayed tied until the sixth inning when Emory plated three runs on four hits to take a 4-1 lead. That big inning came immediately following Piedmont's bottom half of the fifth inning where the Lady Lions left two runners on base.

Piedmont refused to go down quietly in game two as McBrayer again delivered a big hit to keep the comeback alive. In the bottom of seventh inning, McBrayer doubled to plate Stegmayer and KATELYN PERRY to pull the Lady Lions to within a run, but a pair of strikeouts left the tying run stranded at second base to end game two.

Shaefer earned the win in game two as well after coming on in relief to start the third inning. MARTINA MALOCH was saddled with the loss in game two despite the Lady Lions outhitting the Eagles 10-7.

Piedmont is scheduled to take the field again next weekend for a four-game series on the road at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. Doubleheader times for Saturday and Sunday are still to be determined. The first doubleheader will be part of USA South conference play.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- REBEKAH STEGMAYER moved from the 9^th spot in the order to leadoff for game two and delivered a 4-for-4 performance with two runs and a stolen base in the second contest.
- EMMA MCBRAYER was 3-for-7 on the day and delivered all three RBIs in game two.
- KATELYN PERRY scored a run and totaled two hits, both of which were doubles, in the series.

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