Lady Cougars Earn Wins

Piedmont Academy’s varsity softball team recorded a pair of wins during a weekend tournament in Monticello.

The Lady Cougars blanked Heritage of Newnan 6-0 as O’Neil Sealy earned the win working six innings with four strikeouts. Sealy did not allow a run and limited Heritage to just two hits.

“I thought we played really well against Heritage,” Piedmont coach Daniel Funt said. “It was good to throw a shutout and we played solid defense. Also, we hit the ball well and moved runners offensively. We made great adjustments at the plate after facing a pitcher with a tough change-up after our first time through the batting order.”

Amelia Dodson drove in two runs, including a triple in the sixth inning. Haley Tyler also had n RBI triple.

Piedmont also defeated Edmund Burke 12-6 in tournament play.

Tyler, Dodson, Sealy and Morgan Tillman helped lead the offense.

Matti Smith earned the win allowing just one run while striking out one.

Cheyenne Galloway also had a big day at the plate.

“Against Edmund Burke, we struggle early and weren’t awake,” Funt said. “I knew we could come back and I challenged the players to do so. They responded and proceeded to drive the ball all over the park.”

Piedmont also took advantage of some Edmund Burke miscues as well.

“I was extremely proud of the girls and how they came back,” Funt said. “Good teams have to be able to never feel like they are out of it. They need to be able to rally and respond positively when things are not going their way.”

The tournament drew several schools with games at Piedmont and the Jasper County Recreation Department.

Two scheduled tournament games for the Lady Cougars were not played due to weather conditions.

“I want to thank all the parents, our coaching staff and the staff at the Jasper County Recreation Department for their help this weekend,” Funt said.

“Despite the weather, we received great compliments about the facilities from visiting coaches and fans. The event helped raise funds for the softball program.”