NEED TO KNOW:
Game 1 Score: Piedmont 8, LaGrange 0
Game 2 Score: Piedmont 8, LaGrange 1
Records: Piedmont 24-9 (13-1 USAS); LaGrange 8-27 (3-11 USAS)
 
LAGRANGE, Ga. – Piedmont University's softball team hit the road for the final time in the 2022 regular season on Tuesday afternoon and came back to Demorest with another doubleheader sweep, this time over the LaGrange Panthers.
 
The Lady Lions took over in the later innings of game one to earn an 8-0 win to kick off the afternoon before taking game two in similar fashion at an 8-1 margin. The wins get Piedmont a step closer to locking in the west division's No. 1 seed in the upcoming USA South Tournament.
 
Game 1 – Piedmont 8, LaGrange 0
 
Game one was not kind to the Piedmont offense in the first three innings as the Lady Lions sent the minimum to the plate in that time frame, but a big fourth inning against LaGrange starter Lindsey Swearngin got it rolling in the right direction.
 
An infield single for KARA TAYLOR opened the scoring as REBEKAH STEGMAYER came home to score on the play. That was the first of three straight hits for the Lady Lions as MADISON HENRY followed it up with a double ahead of EMMA MCBRAYER's RBI single.
 
Two batters later, HANNAH MORGAN's RBI single brought Henry home to put Piedmont ahead 3-0.
 
Errors aided the Lady Lions in each of the next two frames as one unearned run came home in each the fifth and sixth before another big inning in the seventh bookended the contest.
 
A triple from Stegmayer followed by a walk from KAITLIN ISLEY started the inning and set the stage for Taylor to launch a three-run homer, her fifth of the season, to open the lead to 7-0.
 
Three batters later, LYNDZI PARTLOW added one for good measure and hit her first collegiate home run to put the finishing touches on an 8-0 victory.
 
McBrayer improved her record to 12-2 with another win as she pitched all seven innings while allowing just seven hits and a pair of walks compared to three strikeouts.
 
Game 2 – Piedmont 8, LaGrange 1
 
The top of the order for Piedmont got game two started in a strikingly similar fashion as they finished game one.
 
Back-to-back walks from Stegmayer and Isley set the stage again for Taylor, who homered for the second time in as many at-bats to give the Lady Lions an early 3-0 lead.
 
Taylor's current home run count of six on the season ranks her in a tie for sixth on the program's single season record book.
 
Piedmont's offense went mostly stagnant after that aside from a lone run in the third when Isley scored on an RBI single from Henry. The Panthers finally pushed their only run of the day across in the bottom of the fourth when an error allowed Lindsey Green to reach safely before she ultimately game around to score.
 
That lone run wasn't nearly enough to mount a comeback against the Lady Lions as they answered with four runs on four hits in the next half inning, pushing the Piedmont total for game two to eight. MACIE ALLEN's two-run single early in the inning highlighted the seventh for Piedmont.
 
Starting pitcher MARTINA MALOCH was as good as she's ever been in her collegiate career as she pitched another complete game and allowed only two hits and just one unearned run while striking out six LaGrange hitters in the game.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- KARA TAYLOR kept her hot streak alive as she went a combined 4-for-8 on Tuesday with seven RBIs and two home runs.
- EMMA MCBRAYER and MARTINA MALOCH were a perfect 1-2 punch in the circle as they allowed zero earned runs and issued just five free passes. Maloch dazzled with a two-hitter in game two.
- MADISON HENRY was a combined 4-for-7 on Tuesday with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.
 
UP NEXT:
- The Lady Lions finish the regular season on Saturday, April 23, with a home doubleheader versus Berea on Senior Day. Due to a busy day on campus for all of Piedmont Athletics, game one of the series is scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m.  
 
HOW TO FOLLOW:
- To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont University Athletics, be sure to visit PiedmontLions.com and connect with the Green and Gold on social media. Follow the Lions on Twitter: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, and Facebook. To follow each Piedmont athletic program on social media, use the Social Media Directory at PiedmontLions.com or click here.