HIRAM, Ohio - March 18, 2022 – Hiram College softball swept their 2022 home opener against the Mount Union Purple Raiders on Friday evening at Myrtis E. Herndon Field, walking off on the Raiders in game one, 3-2, in eight innings, before taking game two, 5-1.
With the two wins, the Terriers move to 6-4 on the year, while the Purple Raiders drop to 7-9.
GAME 1: Hiram 3, Mount Union 2 (8 Innings)
Angel Santellan and Alyssa Rose combined to pitch three and a half scoreless frame, each stranding a pair of base runners before Hiram got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the fourth.
Giselle Bahena led off the bottom of the fourth with a triple, but Rose got the next two Terrier batters to put two outs on the board. However, with the Purple Raiders looking to get out of the fourth inning unscathed, a dropped fly ball allowed Bahena to come home, giving the Terriers a 1-0 lead.
Perez, on third after the error, then came around to score on
Leah Valdez's RBI single, extending Hiram's lead to 2-0.
The Terriers then looked to add more after Santellan worked a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, but Rose left the bases loaded, keeping Hiram's lead at just 2-0.
And in the top of the sixth, Mount Union took advantage of a defensive miscue to knot the score at 2-all. Savannah Miner led off and reached on a throwing error, moving to second on a wild pitch. A flyout put one out on the board, but Rose helped herself, tying the game with an inside-the-park home run down the left-field line.
Mount Union then looked to take the lead in the sixth, with Adri George singling to center and stealing second, but Santellan got Payton Guspyt to groundout to first to keep the score tied at two.
Hiram then looked to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth, but a leadoff single by
Jeskari Rodriguez was erased when
Hunter Whitton was caught stealing.
Santellan then worked a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, but Rose stranded the game-winning run on third base to send the game to extra, as
Melissa Galindo singled, stole second and moved to third on
Darian Kanno's groundout, but was left at third when
Abriana Schwartz fell just short of legging out an infield single.
Santellan though, continued her impressive performance in the circle, stranding a runner at second base in the top of the eighth with three-straight flyouts.
And in the bottom of the eighth, the Purple Raiders' muffed the throw on Bahena's sacrifice bunt, allowing
Avery Balurdi to not only advance to third but come around to score, giving Hiram a 3-2 walk-off victory.
Santellan (3-1) earned the win for Hiram, allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits, walking three and striking out four over eight innings pitched. Rose (3-2) also pitched a complete game for the Purple Raiders but took the loss, allowing three unearned runs on six hits, walking two and striking out six.
Galindo led the Terriers with two hits, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, while Bahena and Chavez each recorded an extra-base hit.
Bahena, Balurdi and Perez scored all three runs for the Terriers.
GAME 2: Hiram 5, Mount Union 1
After
Jeskari Rodriguez worked a 1-2-3 top of the first, Hiram came to the plate and quickly took the lead in the bottom of the frame.
Kanno led off the inning with a double and stole third, giving the Terriers a runner in scoring position. With one out, Bahena doubled to center, scoring Kanno from third to give Hiram a 1-0 lead, before Bahena came home on a Mount Union fielding error, extending Hiram's lead to 2-0.
Rodriguez then worked around a leadoff single in the second, and the Terriers added to their lead in the bottom of the frame.
Perez led off the bottom of the second with a triple, and then Valdez brought her home with a sacrifice bunt, making it a 3-0 Hiram lead.
Mount Union got one back in the top of the third on Rose's RBI double to left, but Rodriguez got Taylor Gerback to lineout to strand a pair, keeping the Terriers' lead at 3-1.
And after two scoreless frames, the Terriers got back on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Rodriguez led off and reached on an error before Perez blasted a two-run homer to left, her first and the Terriers' first of the year, to extend their lead to 5-1.
Mount Union would threaten in the top of the fifth and sixth, with a two-out single in the fifth and a pair of base runners in the sixth, but both times, Rodriguez kept the Purple Raiders off the scoreboard, stranding all three base runners.
And in the top of the seventh, as Rodriguez looked to finish off the complete-game win, Rose picked up another hit, singling through the left side, but the Terriers erased her with a 6-4-3 double play to finish off the 5-1 victory, and the doubleheader sweep.
Rodriguez (3-1) earned the win, allowing one run on six hits, walking four and striking out six over 7.0 innings pitched. Becca Landis (0-2) took the loss for Purple Raiders, allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits, walking and striking out one.
Perez led Hiram at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a triple, home run, two runs scored and two RBI. Bahena and Kanno each added an extra-base hit, going 1-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI and 1-for-2 with a double, walk and run scored, respectively.
The Terriers next head to Munhall, Pa. for a doubleheader against the Carnegie Mellon Tartans at West Field on Sunday, March 20, beginning at 1 p.m.
