RALEIGH, N.C. (March 4, 2023) – After winning its first two games of the 2023 season on Friday, the Denison University softball team split its next two games on Saturday at the Grand Slam Triangle Softball Classic. The Big Red first defeated Maryville College 7-6 before getting right back on the field and coming up just short, 8-7, against North Carolina Wesleyan College.

Game 1 (Denison 7, Maryville 6):

• Maryville took advantage of a hit pitch, a wild pitch and an error by the Big Red to get on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning.
• Brooke Surbaugh (2-0) allowed only two hits and one walk through the first five innings before the Scots added another unearned run on a sacrifice bunt to make it 2-0 in the top of the sixth inning.
• Denison was held to only three hits through the first five innings, but the sixth inning is where the Big Red offense broke through for seven runs on six hits. The inning featured three two-RBI hits, starting with a two-run single up the middle by Annabelle Calderon to tie it at 2-2. Then with two outs in the inning, Clara Wolff was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give Denison the lead before Maggie Ballentine brought in two runs with a double to left center field and Jacqui Abogado followed with a two-run single up the middle.
• Maryville threatened in the top of the seventh inning with a three-run triple followed by a run on a wild pitch to make it 7-6 with one out before Sydney Silverstein got a fielder's choice back to the circle followed by a foul out to right field to end it with the tying run on base.
• Surbaugh ultimately finished with 6.1 innings pitched allowing four hits, six total runs, three earned runs and three walks while striking out seven.
• Abogado and Calderon were both 2-for-3 at the plate while three Big Red players (Ballentine, Abogado, Calderon) each finished with two RBI's.

 
Game 2 (Denison 7, North Carolina Wesleyan 8):

• Denison took a quick two-run lead thanks to a leadoff walk by Ballentine followed by the third home run in the first four games of the season by Abogado.
• Then after a two-out, two-run home run for NCWU to tie it in the bottom of the first inning, the Big Red answered right back in the top of the second with a two-out rally that started with a single by Abby Arabia and was followed by an RBI-double to right center by Wolff, a single by Ballentine and a two-run double also to right center by Abogado to make it 5-2 Denison.
• Denison made it 7-2 in the top of the third inning as Indy Workman led off with a single and was followed by a double to center by Calderon before Alessandra Groome scored Workman with a single and Erika Gustafson scored Calderon with a groundout for the first out of the inning.
• However, after leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, NCWU got three straight run-scoring hits in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie it at 7-7. The Battling Bishops then continued their onslaught and took the lead at 8-7 with an RBI-single before Silverstein (1-1) got a pop out to the catcher and a flyout to center field to finally end what was a six-run, six-hit inning.
• Denison then left two runners on base in both the fifth and sixth innings before a pair of singles in the seventh inning were all for naught.
• Abogado finished 2-for-3 with four RBI's, a home run and a double while Wolff was 3-for-4 with a double and Calderon and Groome were both 2-for-4.

 
Records:

• It was the first meeting for Denison (3-1 overall) against both Maryville (3-5) and North Carolina Wesleyan (5-3).

 
Next Up: The Big Red will wrap up the Grand Slam Triangle Classic on Sunday, March 5, against Meredith College at 10 a.m. and Averett University at 12 p.m. Both games will be played at Meredith College.