DELAWARE, Ohio (April 30, 2022) – The Denison University softball team concluded its 2022 regular season with a two-game split at Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday, which allowed the Big Red to clinch the No. 3 seed for the upcoming North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament next weekend. Both games came down to the final inning as Denison lost game one against the Battling Bishops by only one run, 4-3. Then with its season on the line in game two, Denison earned a 3-2 comeback win thanks to a two-out, two run home run by Jessica Hopkins in the top of the seventh inning.
 
Game 1 (Denison 3, Ohio Wesleyan 4)

• Denison's first hit of the game was a single up the middle by Sam Kline to lead off the third inning. Macie Harkovich followed that with a single through the left side to put two runners on, and then two batters later, Claire Powell brought them both home with a two-run triple to center field.
• Leading 2-1 in the top of the fifth, Denison made it 3-1 as Hopkins singled up the middle to score Powell, but the Battling Bishops tied it with two runs in the bottom of the sixth after getting runners to second and third base with nobody out.
• In the seventh inning, a one-out single by Clara Wolff lead to nothing for the Big Red, but a one-out single for OWU ended up being the decider as a sacrifice bunt to get the runner into scoring position with two outs was followed by the game-winning RBI-single up the middle.
• Powell finished 2-for-4 with two RBI's and a triple while Caitlin Ellwanger was 2-for-3.

 
Game 2 (Denison 3, Ohio Wesleyan 2)

• Just like game one, game two came down to the very last inning to decide a winner.
• OWU led 2-0 after scoring a run on a wild pitch in the first inning and adding a run on a two-out hit in the third, but an RBI-double to right center by Jacqui Abogado in the top of the fourth got Denison on the board.
• Just like she did in game one, Wolff hit a single to get on base as the potential trying run in the seventh inning, but a fielder's choice by Powell put her on the base paths.
• Then after a popup for out number two, Powell stole second base to get herself into scoring position with two outs and Hopkins at the dish.
• With Hopkins at the plate facing a 2-2 count with Denison down to its last strike, she did not disappoint, sending the ball over the fence in left field to put the Big Red ahead for the first time in game two.
• In the bottom of the seventh, Sophia Parpala (8-3) would finish off the complete game victory with three straight outs on a fly out to right field, a foul out to first base on an interference call, and then a foul out to the catcher, Annabelle Calderon, to send the Big Red into the postseason.
• Parpala finished with seven innings pitched allowing just four hits, two total runs, one earned run and one walk.
• At the plate, Wolff was 2-for-2 in game two as it was her leadoff single that helped start the inning that propelled the Big Red to victory.

 
Records:

• Denison finishes up its regular season with a record of 19-20 overall and 8-8 in the NCAC while Ohio Wesleyan finishes at 11-21 and 7-9.

 
Next Up: Denison will now head to the NCAC Tournament, set for Friday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7, as the No. 3 seed (owns the tiebreaker over Wooster for combined win-loss record vs. all teams above the tied teams). The host of the tournament will be either No. 6 nationally-ranked DePauw University or Hiram College.