WESTERVILLE, Ohio (March 28, 2024) – The Denison University softball team traveled to nearby Otterbein University on Thursday and jumped out to an 8-0 lead in game one after a six-run top of the first inning. The Big Red were then able to hang on to a 9-7 win in the first game before winning 7-3 in six innings in game two.

Denison finished the day with a combined 16 runs on 23 hits while Madilyn Moffitt picked up the save in both contests.
 
Game 1 (Denison 9, Otterbein 7):

• Denison exploded for six runs and two home runs in the top of the first inning. After Jordyn Maurer led off the game with a single up the middle and Indy Workman walked, Alessandra Groome singled to right center to bring home Maurer, and then two batters later Brooke Surbaugh sent a three-run homer over the fence in right field. Moffitt followed with a double to right center field before a two-run home run to center by Jacqui Abogado.
• Maurer scored again in the second inning after leading off with a walk and coming around two batters later on an RBI-double down the left field line by Groome to make it 7-0.
• A two-out walk by Groome in the fourth inning was followed by an RBI-double to center field by Annabelle Calderon to make it 8-0 and bring in what would ultimately prove to be the most important run of the game.
• Otterbein scored twice in the bottom of the fourth inning to keep the game from ending early, and then Groome and Calderon struck again in the top of the sixth with a two-out single to left field by Groome followed by an RBI-triple to right field by Calderon, making it 9-2 Big Red.
• It would turn out that the Cardinals would make it interesting in the bottom of the sixth, hitting a two-run home run to center field and scoring five runs in the inning.
• With the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the sixth, Moffitt got a foul out to first base to end the inning and then got a swinging strikeout to strand two runners on base in the seventh and pick up her first-career save.
• Both teams would finish with 11 hits in game one, but Otterbein left 10 runners on base while the Big Red had just five runners left on.
• Groome hit 3-for-3 with three runs scored, two RBI's and a double while Calderon was 2-for-4 with an RBI-double and an RBI-triple.

 
Game 2 (Denison 7, Otterbein 3 – six innings):

• Denison again scored multiple runs in the first inning as Maurer led off with a double to left field and scored on a one-out double to left center by Groome. Groome then scored on a two-out single up the middle by Surbaugh.
• Three straight two-out singles got the Cardinals on the board in the bottom of the first.
• It was again Maurer leading off a scoring inning for the Big Red as she started off the fifth inning with a single to center field and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Workman. Groome followed with a single up the middle and stole second base to put two runners into scoring position with one out for Calderon, who delivered a two-run single to left center field.
• Calderon eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Leilah Ferrari to make it 5-1 Big Red, and the three-run fifth inning for the Big Red came just in the nick of time as back-to-back bunt singles by Otterbein to start the bottom of the fifth led to a pair of runs on back-to-back, one-out RBI-singles for the Cardinals.
• Then in the sixth, it was Maurer getting the RBI-hit as after Clara Wolff led off with a double down the right field line, Maurer doubled to center field to bring her in and make it a 6-3 Denison lead.
• Denison added one more run in the sixth inning as Maurer advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on an RBI-groundout to short by Workman.
• After the end of the sixth inning, game two was called due to darkness.
• Maurer was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two doubles while Groome was also 3-for-4 and scored twice.
• After pitching the final 1.1 innings of game one, Moffitt pitched the final 1.2 innings of game two and earned her second save of the day.

 
Records:

• Denison improves to 11-5 overall while Otterbein, which was hosting the Big Red in its home opener, falls to 5-9.
• Since the two teams began playing in 1997, the all-time series between the two teams is now tied again at 18-18.

 
Next Up: Denison will return to action to host its final doubleheader before the start of North Coast Athletic Conference action. The Big Red will host Waynesburg University starting at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 4.