MUNHALL, Pa. - March 20, 2022 – Hiram College softball fell twice in their Sunday doubleheader against the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans, falling 6-2 and 3-2 in two close-contests at West Field. With the two losses, the Terriers drop back to .500 on the year at 6-6, while the Tartans move to 9-6 on the year.
 
GAME 1: CARNEGIE MELLON 6, HIRAM 2
Though the Terriers struck first in the opening frame, Scotty McGee stranded a pair and the Tartans quickly tied things up in the bottom of the frame.
 
Darian Kanno led off the top of the first with a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. Kanno then moved to third on Giselle Bahena's flyout and came around to score a batter later on Jeskari Rodriguez's RBI double, giving the Terriers a 1-0 lead.
 
However, McGee got a strikeout to strand a pair, and Carnegie Mellon quickly tied things up on Libby Eichberger's RBI triple, evening the score at 1-all. Angel Santellan would get out of the first without allowing another run, getting Eichberger at home on a fielder's choice, before getting the next two Tartans to groundout.
 
But after Hiram left two on in the top of the second, Carnegie Mellon took the lead in the bottom of the frame.
 
A pair of singles and a passed ball put two on with just one out for Kiera Boucher, who reached on an error to load the bases. Emily Song then laced a double down the left-field line, scoring a pair to give the Tartans a 3-1 lead.
 
Both teams went scoreless in the third before the Tartans extended their lead in the bottom of the fourth. Carnegie Mellon took advantage of a pair of Hiram defensive miscues, scoring on Megan Hu's grounder to first to take a 4-1 lead.
 
The Tartans would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth on back-to-back RBI singles before Hiram got things going at the plate in their final at-bats in the top of the seventh.
 
Down by five, Bahena led off the seventh with a single to center and quickly came around to score on Santellan's double to cut Carnegie Mellon's lead to 6-2. A walk put two on with nobody out, but Gwen Delacruz got the next three Terriers to end the threat and finish off the 6-2 victory.
 
Santellan (3-2) took the loss for Hiram, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits, while McGee (1-1) earned the win for the Tartans, allowing one run on two hits, striking out four over 4.0 innings pitched.
 
Delacruz earned the save, allowing just one run over three innings of relief, while Trinity Meza pitched 1.2 innings out of the bullpen for the Terriers, allowing two runs on six hits.
 
At the plate, Santellan went 1-for-2 with a walk, double and RBI, while Rodriguez also notched a double, going 1-for-3 with a double, walk and RBI.
 
GAME 2: CARNEGIE MELLON 3, HIRAM 2
Again the Terriers struck first, scratching out a run in the top of the first. With one out, Giselle Chavez reached on an error and stole second. Bahena then drew a walk to put runners at first and second for Santellan, who singled to load the bases. Rodriguez then brought a run home with a sacrifice fly, but Santellan was thrown out trying to advance to third, preventing the Terriers from increasing their lead.
 
Rodriguez then worked around a two-out single in the first and pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the second. But after Hiram left two on in the top of the third, Carnegie Mellon tied the game in the bottom of the inning.
 
Erika Heffernen led off with a single to center, coming around to score on Kiera Boucher's RBI double to even the score at 1-1.
 
Hiram looked to answer in the top of the fourth, but Holley Moore was thrown out at home trying to score on Viviana Macias' single to right, and Amanda Schwartz got Larissa Baeza to groundout to end the threat and send the Tartans to the plate in the bottom of the fourth.
 
And on Heffernen two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the fourth, Carnegie Mellon took the lead, scoring two runs in the inning to take a 3-1 lead.
 
After a scoreless fifth and sixth, the Terriers threatened in the top of the seventh, staging a two-out rally against Amanda Smith. Chavez drew a two-out walk and Bahena followed with an RBI double to center, scoring Chavez to make it a one-run game. But Smith struck out the next Terrier to nail down the save and eke out a 3-2 victory for the Tartans.
 
Rodriguez (3-2) pitched a quality start but took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out five over 6.0 innings pitched.
 
Schwartz (2-1) earned the win for Carnegie Mellon, allowing one unearned run on seven hits over 5.0 innings pitched, while Smith notched the save.
 
Three Terriers tallied multiple hits, led by Bahena, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, double and RBI. Chavez scored both of Hiram's runs, while Kanno and Santellan each went 2-for-4.
 
Hiram will look to bounce back when it visits Westminster College for a doubleheader against the Titans on Thursday, March 24, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in New Wilmington, Pa.