HIRAM, Ohio (April 14, 2022) – For the second conference series in a row, the Denison University softball team settled for a split. After finishing with only five hits and dropping game one 4-2, the Big Red were able to hold on for a 7-6 win in game two on Thursday evening at Hiram College.
 
Game 1 (Denison 2, Hiram 4):

• Denison's only hits through the first six innings were a two-out single by Caitlin Ellwanger in the first inning and a two-out double by Jacqui Abogado in the second inning.
• Hiram, meanwhile, scored twice in the bottom of the first inning, but it was the Terriers' insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings that ultimately made the difference.
• In the top of the seventh inning, Ellwagner led off with her second single of the game, Jessica Hopkins walked, and Clara Wolff singled up the middle to load the bases with nobody out.
• After a called strike three for the first out of the inning, Abby Arabia followed with a single to center field to score Ellwanger and get the Big Red on the scoreboard.
• Then after a swinging strikeout for out number two, Hopkins came up with a gutsy steal of home, just beating the throw by the Hiram pitcher.
• Unfortunately, the third strikeout of the inning ended the game with the tying run on first base.
• Hiram's starting pitcher, Darian Kanno, earned her first win of the season by pitching all seven innings and limiting Denison to five hits and four walks while striking out nine.

 
Game 2 (Denison 7, Hiram 6):

• Claire Powell led off game two with a triple to right center field before scoring two batters later on a sacrifice fly to left field by Sam Kline.
• Hiram put together a two-out rally featuring an RBI-double, an RBI-single and an RBI-triple to take a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
• A pair of unearned runs with two outs for the Big Red in the top of the third inning tied it at 3-3, the latter of which was an RBI-single through the right side by Hopkins.
• Then in the top of the fifth, Denison doubled up the Terriers with three runs in a row, all with two outs, to make it 6-3. It started with an RBI-triple to right center field by Hopkins to give the Big Red the lead, and was then followed by two more unearned runs.
• Arabia started off the top of the sixth inning with a hit by pitch before eventually scoring on a wild pitch to make it 7-4 Denison, and that would prove to be the difference as Hiram scored twice in the bottom of the sixth before getting thrown out at home to end the inning after a perfectly executed relay throw by the Big Red.
• In the bottom of the seventh, Sydney Silverstein pitched a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts to preserve the one-run victory and earn her third save of the season.
• Sophia Parpala, meanwhile, came in to pitch in the third inning and finished with 3.1 innings pitched allowing six hits and three runs while also improving to 6-1 on the year.
• Powell finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored while Hopkins was 2-for-4 with two RBI's and Abogado was also 2-for-4.

 
Records:

• Denison's record moves to 13-14 overall and 4-2 in the NCAC while Hiram's went to 9-11 and 2-2. The loss in game two for the Terriers was their first loss at home so far this season.

 
Next Up: Denison will host No. 9 nationally-ranked DePauw University in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 16.