The #7 seed Greensboro College softball team suffered two losses on Saturday and were eliminated from USA South Tournament play. The Pride lost a heartbreaking 3-2, 13 inning contest in the opener against #2 seed Piedmont
The Lions of Piedmont opened game one with a single run in the first and second innings to grab a 2-0 lead. Greensboro battled back in the fourth with a run of its own. Jackie Nicholson singled to center field, moving Sarah Connolly to third, before she advanced home on a fielding error.
Sarah Tompkins helped The Pride even the game in the sixth with an RBI double to left center to bring Taylor Freeman home.
Both teams battled back-and-forth from that point, with Piedmont leaving the bases loaded in the ninth and Greensboro stranding two in the tenth and 13th.
The Lions finally broke through in the bottom of the 13th with a walk-off RBI single to earn the win and move The Pride to the elimination bracket.
Greensboro held a 13-12 advantage in hits with Freeman and Reihle Kash contributing a game high three apiece. Chelsea Brewer and Nicholson also added two each, while Alexis Hall and Tompkins finished with one.
Hannah Pennell suffered the loss despite 8.2 solid innings of relief for starter Kelsey Sanfilippo.
The Pride dug themselves into an early hole again in game two, as the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan raced out to seven runs in the first and one in the second for an 8-0 lead. The Battling Bishops added a run in the fourth before The Pride could reach the board.
Alex Wickham provided the first run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth. North Carolina Wesleyan responded with one in the fifth to extend the margin to 9-1.
Greensboro chipped into the gap in the fifth, scoring three runs on two hits with the help of two Battling Bishop errors. The Battling Bishops would pad the lead with four in the sixth and despite The Pride getting two runs in the bottom of the sixth, the eight run rule would come into effect with the score 14-6.
Greensboro finished with seven hits and benefitted from seven North Carolina Wesleyan mistakes in the loss. Brewer, Nicholson, Freeman, Connolly, Tompkins, Kash and Rae Hall each finished with one hit for The Pride. Freeman recorded a team best two RBI.
Kelsey Sanfilippo took the loss before being relieved by Shelby Drummonds in the circle.
Greensboro is now 16-19 on the season. The Pride are scheduled to face cross-town rival Guilford at home on April 24.