Piedmont pounded the Sand Rock Wildcats for 18 hits and 14 runs on Monday of last week at Sand Rock and captured the 2A, Area 12 regular season softball crown with a 14-7 win. “They were excited,” Piedmont coach Matt Deerman said of his players. “We actually have an advantage this year being able to play at home.”
The double elimination Section (Area) tournament will open at Piedmont Thursday with three games. At 3:30 p.m., Piedmont plays White Plains. At 5:30 p.m., Pleasant Valley takes on Sand Rock and the two winners meet at 7:30 p.m.
Play is scheduled to resume Friday with a 4 p.m. elimination bracket game. Another team will be eliminated in a 6 p.m. contest. The championship game should begin at 8 p.m. Should an “if” game be necessary, it is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday.
Piedmont’s tournament chances will receive a boost with the return of pitcher Miranda Givens after an absence of two weeks. Deerman said that Givens still had to pass an agility test to be cleared to pitch but he anticipated she would be available to pitch this afternoon against Jacksonville on Senior Night. The Bulldogs have five seniors – Heather Cain, Brooke Dixon, Kylea Cook, Andreka Harbour and Brittany Hanvey.
Against Sand Rock, Piedmont scored three times in each of the first three innings. The Bulldogs scored at least one run in every inning of the seven-inning game.
“Getting multiple runs in the first three innings and taking a big lead was big,” Deerman noted.
Tuesday at Pleasant Valley, the Bulldogs scored twice in the first inning and once in the second to take a 3-1 lead.
“Then we just quit (hitting),” said Deerman.
The Bulldogs had only one hit after the second inning, a third-inning single by Harbour, and closed the game with a total of four hits.
On Thursday, Piedmont downed visiting Glencoe 5-4. The Bulldogs trailed 4-3 entering the bottom of the seventh. Hightower was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, ending the game.
Piedmont closed the week with a 3-0 loss at Saks Friday. As a team, the Bulldogs had only four hits – all singles.
