By: Andrew Korba

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Hiram College softball team ended up on the wrong end of a pair of slugfests at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida on Monday.

The Terriers (0-4) fell in a back-and-forth affair to Widener (2-0) 10-9 and Defiance (4-0) 15-7.

Against Widener, Hiram scored a run in the top of the first on a RBI single from senior Meghan Garland (Mineral Ridge, Ohio/Mineral Ridge).

The Pride tied the game in the bottom half of the inning, but the Terriers had an answer in the second with senior Jessica Wahl (Akron, Ohio/Ellet) lacing a single to score senior Danielle Latine (Eatlake, Ohio/North).

Hiram was able to make it 4-1 in the third, benefitting from a Widener miscue to score two unearned runs.

The Pride tied the game at 4-4 in the fourth and took the lead in the fifth by scoring a single run. Widener then expanded its lead to 7-4 in the fifth, scoring two more times.

The Terriers had an answer in the sixth, scoring five times to jump in front 9-7.

Junior Emily Syrjala (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Prep) reached on an error to lead off the inning. Wahl followed with a triple to score Syrjala and junior Dana Perrotta (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) drove in Wahl with a RBI single to make the score 7-6.

Following an out, Garland doubled to score Perrotta. Garland would come around to score and give Hiram the lead a few batters later on a passed ball.

Freshman Kourtney Holcomb (Garrettsville, Ohio/James A. Garfield) closed out the scoring in the inning with a RBI single.

But Widener had another answer and manufactured three runs in the bottom half of the sixth to retake the lead at 10-9.

The Terriers would get a baserunner in the seventh, but could not score allowing the Pride to hold on for the win.

Holcomb, Garland and Wahl each finished with two hits and two RBI's for Hiram.

Against Defiance, the Yellow Jackets scored twice in the top half of the first inning. But the Terriers has an answer of their own, with two runs in the bottom of the frame, capped off on a RBI single from junior Brittany Zajac (Corry, Pa./Corry), to the game at 2-2.

Defiance came right back with two runs in the second, while Hiram benefitted from an error in the bottom of the inning to trim the Yellow Jacket lead to 4-3.

The Terriers would then tie the game in third thanks to a RBI single by junior Heather Pahoresky (Mantua, Ohio/Crestwood).

Defiance would jump back in front 6-4 by scoring two runs in the fourth, but Hiram responded with three more runs to retake the lead 7-6. Garland had a 2-RBI double and Pahoresky added her second RBI single of the contest.

But the Yellow Jackets were able to shut the Terriers down the rest of the way and scored nine unanswered runs, with five coming in the sixth inning, to pull away for the win.

Wahl finished the game with three hits and two runs scored, while Garland went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI's. Pahoresky and Zajac also finished with two hits apiece.

Hiram will continue play on its spring trip on Tuesday, March 8, by taking on Thomas More (Ky.) at 9 a.m. and Trine (Ind.) at 1:30 p.m.