GRANVILLE, Ohio (April 28, 2022) – Playing in its final two home games of the 2022 season, the Denison University softball team earned a pair of nonconference victories over Muskingum University, winning game one 8-2 before coming back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take game two by a score of 4-3 at the Denison Softball Field.
 
Game 1 (Denison 8, Muskingum 2)

• Denison scored in the very first inning as Claire Powell led off with a walk and then later scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Caitlin Ellwanger.
• Then after Muskingum tied it in the top of the fourth inning with a two-out RBI-single, Ellwanger led off the bottom of the fourth with a double to center field before quickly giving the Big Red the lead back on the ensuing double to left field by Jacqui Abogado, who would not be done providing theatrics on the day.
• With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Powell delivered a triple to right center field to score two and give the Big Red some insurance runs up 4-1.
• Denison would go on to score during each of the next two innings as well as the first career hit for Macie Harkovich was a two-out RBI-single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-1. It would not be the last time on Thursday Harkovich would make her impact felt either.
• In the sixth, Ellwanger would add her second sacrifice fly of the game to wrap up the scoring.
• Powell finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI's while Maggie Ballentine was 2-for-4 and Jessica Hopkins also scored twice.
• Sydney Silverstein reached the 10-win mark as a freshman (10-8) and recorded her 10th complete game of the year by finishing with seven innings pitched allowing only five hits, two runs and two walks.

 
Game 2 (Denison 4, Muskingum 3)

• Denison fell behind 3-0 and had only one hit through three innings before getting on the board in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a solo home run to left center field with two outs by Abogado.
• Starting pitcher Sophia Parpala (7-3) did her best to hang in their and keep Denison's deficit manageable as she pitched all seven innings allowing six hits, three total runs, two earned runs and two walks while striking out five.
• That hard work for Papala paid off in the bottom of the sixth as a one-out double by Annabelle Calderon was followed two batters later by another two-out home run to left center field by Abogado, but this time it was a two-run line drive homer that tied the game at 3-3.
• Then immediately after Abogado's second home run of the game, Sam Kline singled to short to keep the inning going, and then after recording her first career hit in game one, Harkovich came up huge with her second RBI-hit of the day and first career double to score Kline all the way from first and put the Big Red ahead for the first time in game two.
• In the top of the seventh, Muskingum got the tying run to second base with one out, but a potential run-saving catch in center field by Powell followed by a groundout back to Parpala gave the Big Red the sweep in their final two home games of the season.

 
Records:

• Denison improves to 18-19 overall with the two wins while Muskingum, which entered the day with seven wins in a row and a record of 6-0 against teams from the North Coast Athletic Conference, fell to 27-9 overall.

 
Next Up: Denison's final two games of the regular season will be at Ohio Wesleyan University starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 30. The Big Red need at least one win over the Battling Bishops to clinch a postseason spot and the No. 3 seed for the NCAC Tournament, but a sweep to the Bishops would end Denison's season.