Softball Recap: Hickory Ridge Comes Up Short

Hickory Ridge entered their matchup against Piedmont on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Hickory Ridge fell 6-2 to Piedmont. Having soared to a lofty 18 runs in the game before, the Ragin' Bulls couldn't push the score so high this time.

Embler Kristyn was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 13 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.

In other batting news, Katherine Rhyne was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.

The loss was their first at home , dropping their record down to 8-2. As for Piedmont, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 10-4.

Hickory Ridge and Piedmont should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps North Carolina Rankings. Hickory Ridge (ranked 15th) will meet Lake Norman (ranked 79th) at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Piedmont will face off against Forest Hills at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday up 314 places (67 vs. 381).