GRANVILLE, Ohio — Denison Softball split Saturday's doubleheader with Wittenberg in a pair of tightly contested games. The Big Red opened the day with a 7–5 victory behind clutch hitting throughout the lineup, before Wittenberg answered with a late-inning surge to take Game Two, 7–5, and even the series at Denison Softball Field.
Game One: Denison 7, Wittenberg 5
Wittenberg jumped ahead early with a two-run single in the first inning, but Denison quickly responded as Emerson Seevers smashed a two-run double to left center before scoring on a Brooke Surbaugh RBI groundout to put the Big Red in front, 3–2.
The Tigers tied the game in the third and briefly regained the lead in the fourth on a pair of unearned runs, making it 4–3. Denison answered right back in the bottom half of the inning when Leilah Ferrari delivered a two-run double to right center, scoring Alex Longstreth and Emily Orsini to put the Big Red ahead, 5–4.
In the fifth, Madilyn Moffitt added much-needed insurance with a two-run homer, extending the lead to 7–4. Wittenberg scratched across one run in the seventh, but Denison held strong to secure the 7–5 victory.
Ferrari and Seevers each drove in two runs to lead the offense, while Moffitt added two more with her home run. Denison totaled seven runs on a balanced lineup effort, with contributions throughout the order.
Game Two: Wittenberg 7, Denison 5
Denison struck first in the opening inning when Seevers delivered an RBI single to left center, bringing home Indy Workman for an early 1–0 lead. Wittenberg evened the score in the third with a bunt single, tying the game at 1–1.
The Big Red moved back in front in the fifth as Seevers reached on an error that allowed Leilah Ferrari to score, giving Denison a 2–1 advantage. But Wittenberg capitalized on defensive miscues in the sixth, scoring three unearned runs, including a two-run double, to swing momentum and take a 4–2 lead.
In the seventh, the Tigers added three more runs, stretching the margin to 7–2. Denison mounted a late push in the bottom half as Workman doubled home Ferrari, and Seevers followed with a two-run triple to right to make it 7–5. However, the rally came up just short as Wittenberg held on to split the doubleheader.
Seevers powered the Denison offense once again, finishing with three RBI and a triple, while Workman added two hits and an RBI. Both teams tallied eight hits, but Wittenberg's timely late-inning surge proved to be the difference.
