Eighteen unanswered runs by the Denison softball team erased a three-run deficit and completed a doubleheader sweep over North Coast Athletic Conference foe Kenyon College on Wednesday afternoon in Gambier, Ohio. The Big Red edged the Ladies 5-4 in game one, and won the second game 19-4.
The 19 runs scored by Denison in the game-two victory were the most runs scored in a single game by the Big Red in the 14-year history of the program.
In the opener, DU jumped out to an early lead thanks to a four-run third inning. Sophomore Lauren Lynn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) got Denison on the board with a solo home run to left field. The homer was her second of the season. With two outs and runners on first and second, the Big Red added to their lead when senior Alex Murray (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/NDCL) lined a two-run double to left center that scored Brie Berkopec (Mars, Pa./Mars Senior) and Erica Evans (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington). First-year Jessica Robertson (Mt. Gilead, Ohio/Mt. Gilead) then drove in Murray on a double to right center.
Kenyon added a tally in the fourth and fifth to cut the deficit in half (4-2). DU added what proved to be an important insurance run in the sixth on a base hit by senior Emily Croll (Oak Harbor, Ohio/Oak Harbor). In the bottom of the seventh, Samantha Sims and Jamie Samuel hit back-to-back RBI singles with two down to trim the margin to 5-4. After Brittany Vanegas was hit by a pitch to load the bases, senior pitcher Leslie Brenner (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) was able to get out of the jam by getting Ellen Witkowski to ground out to Evans at short. Brenner allowed four runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts en route to her seventh win of the season.
Trailing 4-1 midway through game two, the Big Red called on Brenner to try and slow down a Lady offense that had already scored four runs on eight hits in just an three and a third innings. The senior retired the first two batters she faced via pop out to first and flight out to left field.
In the fifth inning, Denison knotted the score at 4-4 on back-to-back doubles by Evans and Berkopec. Evans' extra-base hit plated Croll and Lynn, while Berkopec brought home Evans from second. DU took their first lead of the game in the sixth inning on an RBI base hit to right center by sophomore Kait Fiore (Millburn, N.J./Millburn) that plated Murray. Lynn followed up the sophomore's single with a double down the left field line that scored Robertson and Fiore, and gave the Big Red a 6-3 advantage.
Denison scored 12 runs in the seventh to close the door on Kenyon. The Big Red's offensive explosion was highlighted by a two-run triple by Murray and a three-run home run by Robertson. The triple was Murray's team-leading third of the season, while the homer was Robertson's first of her career.
As impressive as DU's offensive heroics were, what was as equally impressive was the display on the mound by Brenner. The senior hurler retired the side in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings as she improved to 8-4 on the year.
On the day, the heart of the DU lineup did their job as they went a combined 20-for-33 (.606) with 16 RBIs, 13 runs scored and six extra-base hits. Evans, the reigning NCAC Hitter of the Week, went 5-for-7 with a double, five runs scored and three RBIs, while Berkopec finished the day 6-for-8 with a double, three RBIs and two runs. Murray, last week's NCAC Hitter of the Week, logged a 5-for-9 performance. She had a double and a triple, drove in five runs, and crossed the plate three time. Robertson and Lynn logged four and three hits, respectively, with a home run and a double each. Robertson drove in five runs and scored three, while Lynn logged four RBIs with three runs scored.
Denison improves to 14-10 overall and 2-0 in the NCAC action, while Kenyon falls to 8-12 overall and 0-2 in league play. The Big Red returns to the field on Saturday (April 10) when they travel to Meadville, Pa. to take on the Allegheny College. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
