Piedmont, AL – On a day when everybody went 2-2, Arnold led White Plains to the championship on a tiebreaker of fewest runs allowed; Piedmont rebounded to beat Etowah, White Plains
Piedmont Invitational
Saturday
Results/schedule
White Plains 8 Munford 4
Munford 4, Etowah 2
Etowah 5, White Plains 2
Handley 5, Piedmont 2
Munford 6, Piedmont 5
Handley 8, Munford 6
White Plains 1, Handley 0
Piedmont 9, Etowah 5
Piedmont 3, White Plains 0
Etowah 4, Handley 2
— White Plains wins the tournament by tiebreaker.
By Joe Medley
If Piedmont’s softball team goes on to experience the warmth of May at Choccolocco Park for the third time in as many years, the Bulldogs just might point back to a cold, cold night in March as a catalyst. Piedmont rebounded from a bitterly disappointing loss to Munford on Saturday to win two in a row, beating Etowah 9-5 and White Plains 3-0 to finish 2-2 in the Piedmont Invitational. The two victories came after the Bulldogs saw a 5-1 lead evaporate in Munford’s final at bat. The Lions scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and walked off in a time-limit game, 6-5. Two errors helped jump start Munford’s game-winning rally, and Piedmont committed five errors in the game.
Piedmont (9-5) waited through two games to play the Etowah, the Bulldogs’ head coach gave them something to think about in the break. “I just told them, if they want to play for a championship, then we’re going to have to make plays when the pressure is on,” Piedmont coach Rachel Smith said. “We’re going to have to make the routine plays when the pressure is on, and we’re going to have to make some great plays when the pressure. “That’s what great players and good teams do.”
Piedmont’s next game, the Etowah game, didn’t get off to an encouraging start. The Blue Devils reeled off four runs in their first at bat, but Piedmont went 2-3-4 in the second, third and fourth innings. Smith and Emma Grace Todd had two doubles apiece against Etowah, and Sarah Goss went 2-for-3 with four RBIs. The Bulldogs extended nine unanswered runs to 12 in the 3-0 victory over White Plains. “We had that break, and Coach Smith just told everybody, ‘Hey, we’ve got to come back and play better offensively and defensively,’ and I feel like that’s we did,” said second baseman/pitcher Savannah Smith, who pitched the shutout against White Plains. Savannah Smith pitched a three hitter with four strikeouts. Abby Baird provided the majority of the offense against White Plains, hitting a two-run single behind singles from Cacey and Cayla Brothers in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Piedmont’s 2-2 showing in its tournament came a week after the Bulldogs won White Plains’ Lady Wildcat Classic at Oxford Lake. “I’m feeling good,” Savannah Smith said. “I’d put our defense up against anybody. We’ve got a great defense. It’s great to be a pitcher with that defense.” White Plains (8-5) also went 2-2 in the Piedmont Invitational, beating Munford 8-4, losing to Etowah 5-2, beating Handley 1-0 and falling to Piedmont. With all five teams coming away 2-2 on the day, the Wildcats won the tournament by tiebreaker, giving up the fewest runs (12). The Wildcats rebounded after going 0-3 in their own tournament last week and returned the favor, winning Piedmont’s tournament. [read more…]
