BY CAREY TAYLOR, Staff Writer
The Piedmont College Lady Lions softball team lost to the Golden Tigers of Brenau University on Thursday Feb. 20.
Brenau started off the game with a lead off single to left field. After a successful sacrifice bunt, it looked as if the Tigers were going to score immediately, but the Lady Lions did not let that happen.
The only Piedmont player who got on base in the first inning was due to a walk. At the end of the first inning, the score was tied at 0.
After sophomore Jordin Ellingson struck out the lead off batter of the second inning, a double was hit over the the center fielder’s head to put the leading run for Brenau on second base.
A single to right field batted the runner in to give the Tigers the lead. Piedmont continued to struggle at the plate in the second inning.
After two scoreless innings, the Lady Lion’s defense made a couple errors in the fifth inning to put the Golden Tigers up by two. Then, the next Tiger batter bombed a home run over the left center wall to drive in two more runs.
At the end of the fifth inning, the Tigers were up 4-0.
The first hit for the Lady Lions came from sophomore Olivia Duncan. After Duncan stole second base, Ellingson walked to put runners on first and second with one out. A fly-out to center field by sophomore Tiffany Sellers would advance
Duncan and Ellingson’s pinch runner to second and third base with two outs. The next batter flew out to right field to yield another scoreless inning for the Lions.
Going into the bottom of the seventh, Brenau led 4-0. Sophomore Abby Smith got on base with a walk, and junior Whitney Wolfe put down a successful sacrifice bunt to put Smith in scoring position.
The Tigers threw a wild pitch that advanced Smith to third base. After freshman Christine Mobley walked, a slow roller hit by sophomore Laura Carter forced an error out of the Golden Tiger defense. This gave the Lady Lions their first and only run of the game.
Duncan was able to draw another walk that loaded the bases, but Piedmont could not pull through.
The game ended with a pop out to right field. The Lady Lions lost the game 4-1.
In the second contest of the day, the Lady Lions again came up short, losing to the Golden Tigers 7-3.
In six innings of work, senior pitcher Brittney Head struck out four, but gave the Tigers 10 hits. Pershka was the RBI leader with two, while Smith had two hits in the game.
“Any time you lose you do not feel too good about it, but I think the girls had heart,” said Head Coach Terry Martin. “They could have easily given up knowing that a team is coming in that is almost fully scholarship.”
“Even though we were not lucky at the plate, we never gave up,” said freshman first baseman Jessica Perschka.
After being asked about how this will effect the season Coach Martin said, “If we learn from it, it is going to have a great effect. We just did not give up, and that is a positive thing.”
The Lady Lions face Berry College at home this Thursday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m.