LEESBURG, Fla. - March 12, 2022 – Hiram College softball fell to the 20th-ranked Millikin University Big Blue, 7-4, on Saturday evening at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex in their final game of The 2022 Spring Games.
Both teams left runners on in the first before the Big Blue took an early lead in the bottom of the second. Cassie Reed led off the inning with an infield single and moved to second on a walk.
Angel Santellan erased both runners with back-to-back fielder's choices, but another infield single, followed by a bases-loaded walk, gave Millikin a 1-0 lead.
The Terriers and Big Blue then went in order in the third, before Hiram plated its first run of the game, tying the score in the top of the fourth.
Giselle Bahena led off the fourth with a single and moved to second on
Angel Santellan's sacrifice bunt.
After
Jeskari Rodriguez struck out,
Kylie Perez doubled to left-center, scoring Bahena from second to even the score at 1-1.
But the Blue Blue took advantage of a Hiram miscue to retake the lead in the bottom of the frame. Gretchen Gould drew a leadoff walk and took second on a sacrifice bunt. After a lineout, Lanie Chizmark reached on an error to extend the inning, and the Big Blue proceeded to retake the lead with back-to-back RBI singles before extending their lead to 5-1 on Leah Foreman's two-run double.
Trinity Meza relieved Santellan and got out of the inning without any more damage, but Millikin would add two more to their tally in the bottom of the fifth.
Reed smacked a leadoff double to left and took second on Gould's groundout to short. The Big Blue then followed with an RBI double and sacrifice fly, extending their lead to 7-1.
Hiram got one back in the top of the sixth, as
Darian Kanno reached on an error and scored on Bahena's RBI double, but Aly Armstrong got the next two batters to end the threat and send things to the bottom of the sixth.
Meza worked a scoreless sixth, sending Hiram to the plate in the top of the seventh. And although the Terriers scored a pair on a Millikin failed pick-off attempt and
Larissa Baeza's RBI double, Armstrong struck out the next batter to finish off the 7-4 victory for the Big Blue.
Santellan (1-1) took the loss for the Terriers, allowing five runs, one earned, on six hits, walking three and striking out two over 3.2 innings pitched. Meza allowed two runs on two hits, striking out one over 2.1 innings pitched.
Armstrong (4-1) earned the win for Millikin, allowing four runs, two earned, on seven hits, walking two and striking out 11.
Bahena led Hiram at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a double, runs scored and RBI. Baeza and Perez each added doubles, with Perez going 1-for-2 with a double, walk, run scored and RBI, and Baeza going 1-for-1 with a double and RBI.
With the loss, Hiram falls to 4-4 and wraps up their time at The Spring Games. Millikin moves to 8-1 with the win.
The Terriers return home and are back in action with their home opener on Friday, March 18 at Myrtis E. Herndon Field against Mount Union beginning at 3 p.m.
