The Covenant softball team concluded its regular season with a doubleheader split at Piedmont on Saturday afternoon in USA South action. The Lady Scots used an impressive performance from Carsyn Stone in the opener to win 1-0, before Piedmont took game two 4-1.
Covenant finishes the regular season 21-15 overall and 12-10 in the USA South. The USA South Tournament begins next weekend with a best-of-3 series at campus sites. The top three teams from each division host.
The win in game one was the first over Piedmont since 2009.
Both of the Lady Scots' wins over the Lions have come in Demorest.
GAME ONE: Covenant 1, Piedmont 0
Covenant scored its lone run in the first and Stone tossed a three-hit shutout to lead the Lady Scots to a 1-0 victory in Saturday's first game.
The only run of the contest was scored in the top of the first. Jordan Brett led off and was hit by a pitch and advanced to third after Casey Grover's single that put runners on the corners with two outs. Erika Mast came through with an RBI single that plated Brett giving Covenant a 1-0 lead.
The rest was all Stone. The sophomore right-hander scattered three hits in her complete-game and allowed only one runner to reach scoring position on the day. Piedmont got a runner to second in the second inning, but Stone got a foul out to end the inning. At one point, Stone retired 11 straight batters.
Stone (8-6) struck out six and walked two to pick up the victory.
Grover finished 2-for-3 to lead Covenant at the plate, while Mast, Shade Epes and Brett all had a hit apiece.
Piedmont starter Sarah Walker (12-7) got the loss as she allowed one run on five hits.
GAME TWO: Piedmont 4, Covenant 1
In the finale on Saturday, Piedmont took an early lead and rode the pitching of Melissa Eckman to defeat Covenant 4-1.
Piedmont scored a run in the first and another in the third to grab a 2-0 lead. Covenant got a run back in the sixth inning when Mast singled home pinch-runner Caylee Marks to cut the Lady Scots deficit to 2-1. But Piedmont answered with two runs of its own in the home half of the sixth to go ahead 4-1 and Eckman would secure the win with a scoreless seventh.
Eckman (12-5) went all seven innings and allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts. Nine different players recorded a hit for Piedmont.
Mast was 2-for-3 with an RBI in the loss. Sarah Huskey (3-1) got the start and picked up the loss as she allowed a run in two innings of work.
Covenant will await to see who its first round series opponent will be for the USA South Tournament. The league's final regular season games are scheduled for Sunday.