ROME — In the NCAA tournament opener for the Piedmont College softball team, it was top seeded host Berry College who came away victorious in an 8-0 win at Ford Field in five innings. The Lady Lions will move on to face Birmingham-Southern Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in an elimination contest.
The Lady Lions struggled offensively against Kassie Howard, the Vikings' pitcher who has herself in contention for the inaugural NFCA/Schutt Sports Division III National Player of the Year award. Howard did not allow a hit as Piedmont had two runners reach base.
Berry led it 1-0 after the first inning and the Lady Lions kept it close until the Vikings tacked on another pair of runs in the fourth inning making it 3-0. In the fifth inning, the Vikings had a total of five runs to force the 8-run rule to end the contest.
Sarah Walker left with one out in the fifth inning as Kory Best and Melissa Eckman entered in the final frame, but a hit batter with the bases loaded sent across the game-winning run.
Turning Point
--Berry took the lead with a run in the first but it was a five-run fifth inning that put the game out of reach for the Lady Lions.
Standout Performances
--Sarah Walker took the loss in the contest but was able to record three strikeouts in the game through 4.1 innings of work.
Inside the Box Score
--The Vikings' Kassie Howard recorded six strikeouts to add to her impressive total of 221 this season.
News & Notes
--Piedmont will move on to face Birmingham-Southern Saturday at 1:30 p.m. with the loser of that game eliminated from competition.
How to Follow
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