OBERLIN, Ohio (April 6, 2024) – The start of North Coast Athletic Conference action for the Denison University softball team saw the Big Red travel to Oberlin College on Saturday. In the end, Denison won game one 1-0 thanks to a shutout from Brooke Surbaugh before winning game two 6-0 on a shutout from Sydney Silverstein.
 
Game 1 (Denison 1, Oberlin 0):

• Surbaugh (5-3) finished with seven innings pitched allowing four hits, two walks and three strikeouts while recording her fifth complete game and third shutout of the season.
• Surbaugh got back-to-back popups on the infield to strand a runner at third base in the first inning and got a groundball double play to take a leadoff single off the base paths in the second inning.
• Then in the third inning, Clara Wolff got on base with a one-out single to right field, and then after a fielder's choice for the second out, Indy Workman scored Jordyn Maurer all the way from first base with an RBI-triple to left center field to make it a 1-0 Big Red lead.
• Surbaugh proceeded to leave runners in scoring position in the bottom of the third and fifth innings while Annabelle Calderon threw out two runners attempting to steal in the sixth inning.
• Then in the seventh, Surbaugh set the Yeowomen down 1-2-3 with a groundout to first base followed by back-to-back swinging strikeouts.
• In addition to her efforts in the circle, Surbaugh was 2-for-3 with a double and accounted for two of Denison's five hits against Hailey Alspach (2-8), who also pitched all seven innings for Oberlin.

 
Game 2 (Denison 6, Oberlin 0):

• Silverstein (5-1) finished with seven innings pitched allowing five hits, one walk and two strikeouts to record her third complete game and second shutout of the season.
• Silverstein left one runner in scoring position in the bottom of the first and two in scoring position in the second inning before Calderon threw out her third runner of the day in the bottom of the third.
• Denison got on the board in the top of the fourth when Alessandra Groome was hit by a pitch with one out and was followed by a two-run home run to left center field by Calderon for her fifth homer of the season.
• A lineout double play back to Silverstein ended the bottom of the fourth inning, and then a leadoff single to right center by Jacqui Abogado was followed by a perfect bunt single by Brianna Gonzalez to get two runners on base for the Big Red for the first time in the game in the fifth inning. Maurer scored Abogado with an RBI-single before a two-run single to right center by Workman made it 5-0 Big Red.
• Silverstein stranded a runner on third base with one out in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a popout to Calderon and a groundout to third base.
• Then after a one-out double to right center for Oberlin in the bottom of the sixth, the runner was tagged out on a groundball to shortstop on the next at bat.
• Denison added one more run in the seventh inning as Gonzalez led off with a single through the left side, stole second base, moved to third on a groundout and then came home on an RBI-groundout by Maurer. Gonzalez finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
• In the bottom of the seventh, a double play to Maurer at first base ended it as the Big Red finished with three double plays on the day.
• Maurer, Workman and Calderon each finished with two RBI's in game two.

 
Records:

• Denison improves to 13-5 overall and 2-0 in the North Coast Athletic Conference while Oberlin falls to 2-14 and 0-2.

 
Next Up: Denison will host Marietta College in nonconference action starting at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9. Then the end of the week will feature Denison's Senior Day vs. the College of Wooster starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 13.