LaGRANGE, Ga. - LaGrange softball closed out its home schedule with a split of a CCS doubleheader against Piedmont on Sunday at the LC Softball Complex. The Panthers (16-18, 6-6 CCS) run ruled Piedmont (22-14, 10-4 CCS) 12-4 in the first game, before the Lions rallied with a 4-3 win in the second game to gain a split.

Game 1:  The Panthers trailed 4-1 entering the bottom of the fourth inning. They sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning, scoring eight runs to grab a 9-4 lead.

LC loaded the bases with one out. Kayla Helms was hit by a pitch to force in the first run of the inning. Lexi Mitchell followed with a two-run single to tie the game, 4-4. Helms came home with the go-ahead run as Kenzie Hornsby reached on a fielder's choice. With the bases loaded again, Claire Chamberlain cleared them with a double to center and scored the eighth run of the inning on Alexa Gonzalez's single.

The Panthers closed out the game in the sixth inning. Mitchell and Hornsby led off the inning with back-to-back singles. With two outs, Chamberlain loaded the bases with a base hit. Zoe Veres went the opposite way to drive in two runs and Gonzalez's single to left brought home Chamberlain for the 12-4 final.

Chamberlain (6-10) got the win in the circle. She went four innings, allowing four runs, three earned. Jenna Yeary threw two scoreless innings to close out the win. Chamberlain and Veres each had two hits and three RBIs. Mitchell and Cannon Ramsey also had two hits each.

Game 2: The Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. They loaded the bases with no outs on a hit batter, an error, and a walk. Piedmont starter Taylor Spivey got the next two outs to bring Mitchell to the plate. She doubled to left center to clear the bases for a 3-0 lead. Hornsby followed with a single but was stranded.

Spivey allowed just one hit the rest of the way. Breonn Newbille had a one-out single in the seventh before Spivey closed out the game.

Chamberlain started again for Game 2. She allowed an unearned run in the fourth to make it 3-1. Chamberlain ran into trouble in the sixth as Piedmont knocked Chamberlain out of the circle with two runs to tie the game. The Lions got the go-ahead run off Yeary, in relief of Chamberlain, to take a 4-3 lead.

Up Next: The Panthers close out the regular season next week with CCS doubleheaders at Wesleyan and Asbury on Friday and Saturday.