HIRAM, Ohio (April 18, 2024) – The Denison University softball team was swept for the first time in North Coast Athletic Conference action so far this season, falling 8-2 in game one and 2-1 in game two at Hiram College on Thursday.
 
Game 1 (Denison 2, Hiram 8):

• Hiram scored four runs on four hits and three doubles in the first inning and added three runs on four more hits and two more doubles in the second inning.
• Madilyn Moffitt came in to pitch with two outs in the first inning and took the Big Red the rest of the way with 5.1 innings allowing eight hits, four runs and zero walks while striking out six.
• Moffit was also the first baserunner to reach for the Big Red after hitting a leadoff double to right field in the top of the third inning.
• Denison finally got onto the scoreboard in the fifth inning to keep the game from ending early as the Big Red loaded the bases with one out and got an RBI-single through the right side by Jordyn Maurer before proceeding to leave the bases loaded.
• In the seventh inning, the Big Red got three straight singles by Leilah Ferrari, Clara Wolff and Maurer to load the bases with nobody out before a sacrifice fly to right field by Annabelle Calderon.
• Hiram's starting pitcher, Darian Kanno (4-5), struck out 11 Big Red hitters and allowed just three hits, one run and three walks in her five innings.
• Moffitt was 2-for-3 and Maurer was 2-for-4, accounting for four of Denison's seven hits.
• The Big Red finished with eight runners left on base compared to six for Hiram.
• Half of Hiram's 12 hits were doubles.

 
Game 2 (Denison 1, Hiram 2):

• One hit made the difference in this one as with two outs in the bottom of the second inning, Hiram loaded the bases with a single and back-to-back walks before a two-run single opened the scoring.
• Denison got on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Calderon led off with a double to left center field, advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a dropped third strike and error by the Terriers' catcher.
• Wolff and Moffitt both hit a two-out single up the middle in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, but the Big Red were never really able to get anything going as they did not draw a single walk and finished with just six total baserunners in the game.
• Angel Santellan (5-2) earned the win for Hiram after pitching all seven innings and allowing five hits, one unearned run and zero walks to go along with eight strikeouts.
• Giavanna Gangi pitched the final 2.2 innings for the Big Red allowing just one hit, no runs, no walks and three strikeouts, and has not allowed a run in her last 7.2 innings.

 
Records:

• Denison, which entered the day 6-1 on the road, now falls to 14-10 overall and 3-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
• Hiram, meanwhile, improves to 14-10 overall and 4-0 in the NCAC while winning its fifth and sixth games in a row and improving to 6-0 at home.

 
Next Up: Denison will remain on the road to finish off the week at Ohio Wesleyan University starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 20.