The Denison softball team knocked off 17th-ranked Heidelberg 7-6 in game one of Wednesday doubleheader in Granville, Ohio. The Berg rebounded with an 8-2 victory in the nightcap, earning a doubleheader split.

The Big Red scored a pair of runs in each of the first three innings in the opener. With a runner on second and two outs in the first, sophomore Lauren Secaras left the yard for the third time in eight days to give Denison a 2-0 advantage. Freshman Laura Bagan opened the second frame with a solo shot to left field that gave DU a 3-0 lead. Freshman Maddie Crull drove in the game's fourth run with a ground ball to short that allowed Ryan Lee to touch the dish.

After Heidelberg cut the deficit to one with a three-run homer in the third, the Big Red answered with two more runs in the bottom of the frame to regain a three-run lead. With two outs, sophomore Sarah Herold hit a double over center fielder Taylor Hicks' head to score Bagan and Amanda Howell. The Student Princes were able to tie the game at 6-6 with a single run in the fourth and two more in the sixth.

With the game knotted up at 6-6, Herold opened the bottom of the sixth with a double to left center. After moving to third on a one-out base hit by Kerry Hager, the sophomore came around to score the go-ahead run on a single up the middle by Secaras.

Pitching with a lead once again, Herold needed just three out to pick up her fifth win of the season. The second-year southpaw got Abbey McKee to fly out to center for the first out. Herold then fielded a ground ball hit back to the mound by Morgan Daniels and flipped on to Secaras at first for the second out of the inning. The sophomore closed out the victory by inducing a pop up that was corralled by catcher Anna Balch in foul territory.

Offensively, Herold finished a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs. Secaras drove in three runs on three hits, while Howell also recorded three hits in the game. Bagan collected two hits, including her first-career home run, and scored two runs.

Herold (5-3) earned the win inside the circle after giving up six runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts. The game-one loss went to Paige Atterholt, who took her first loss of the season after entering the game in relief of starter Erin Chapman. Atterholt surrendered just one run on three hits in two innings of work.

The Berg jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of game two and added another run in the top of the fifth. DU cut the lead to three when Herold hit her first-career home run in the bottom of the fifth. However, a three-run top of the sixth all but sealed the victory for the Student Princes.

Herold paced the Big Red offense in the nightcap, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Crull, Secaras and Howell had the other three hits for Denison, while Lee was on base for the Herold homer. Freshman Colleen Hoffman suffered the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on three hits with four walks and a strikeout in 1.2 innings.

Denison moves its record to 9-9, while Heidelberg now sits at 15-3. The Big Red will open North Coast Athletic Conference play this Saturday when they travel to Meadville, Pa. to take on Allegheny College. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.