DEMOREST, Ga. – In the first-ever meetings between the two programs, the St. Olaf College softball team was swept by Piedmont University by scores of 8-1 and 5-2 on Tuesday afternoon at Walker Athletic Complex.

Despite the hit totals being even in both games, Piedmont (13-8) recorded the sweep by hitting .421 (8-for-19) with runners on base and .400 (6-for-15) with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, St. Olaf (4-12) hit .241 (7-for-29) with runners on base and .188 (3-for-16) with runners in scoring position.

The Oles wrap up their trip south with a doubleheader at Emory University on Wednesday, March 30 starting at 1 p.m CDT in Atlanta.

Piedmont 8, St. Olaf 1 | Box Score

Fifth-year senior Abby Grismer held Piedmont to one hit over the first five innings, but the Lions manufactured three runs on just the one hit before breaking the game open with five runs in the sixth inning. Kara Taylor and Jenna Broach both homered in the win for Piedmont, which got six innings of one-run ball from starter Emma McBrayer.

The hosts scored twice without getting a hit in the third to open the scoring, benefiting from two walks, an error, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly. Taylor homered to start the bottom of the fourth for Piedmont's first hit of the game to stretch the Lions' lead to 3-0.

St. Olaf got its lone run of the game in the top of the fifth when sophomore Katie Weisheit led off the inning with an infield hit, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by first year Faith Yi, and scored on a two-out double by sophomore Anne Fossum. Fossum was thrown out at third on the play.

Piedmont had five of its six hits in the game in a five-run sixth inning, as four of the first five batters of the inning got hits. Broach added a pinch-it two-run home run for the final two runs of the game.

McBrayer improved to 6-1 on the year by holding St. Olaf to one run on five hits over the first six innings, striking out just two with one walk. Grismer tossed a complete game for the Oles, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Piedmont 5, St. Olaf 2 | Box Score

St. Olaf got out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first half inning of game two, but Piedmont answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and did not trail after that. In a 3-2 game, the Lions got two runs in the sixth inning to give themselves breathing room late on.

The Oles got back-to-back doubles from Fossum and classmate Shreya Ashok to start the game to grab a very-early 1-0 lead. The hosts responded with a two-out, two-run single by Hannah Morgan in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 advantage.

Morgan drove in her third run of the game with a ground out in the third to push Piedmont's lead to 3-1. Sophomore Hannah Peschel helped keep St. Olaf within two by throwing out a runner at the plate for the second out of the fifth.

In the next half inning, junior Andrea Conway led off with a double to center and, two batters later, scored on a double down the left-field line by Grismer to make it a one-run game. The Oles stranded the tying run 60 feet away to end the sixth.

The Lions loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth before scoring runs on a single by Kennedy Votava and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Rebekah Stegmayer to close out the scoring.

Fossum, Ashok, and Grismer had two hits apiece to account for six of St. Olaf's eight hits in the game. Martina Maloch scattered seven hits to hold the Oles to two runs over the first 5.1 innings before McBrayer got the final five outs for the save. Sophomore Jaelyn Orth nearly went the distance for St. Olaf, allowing five runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings before classmate Jenna Peschel got the final out of the sixth.