HIRAM, Ohio - April 16, 2022 – Hiram College softball picked up a pair of conference wins, sweeping its Saturday doubleheader against The College of Wooster at Galpin Park on Saturday. The Terrier took game one, 5-3, before wrapping up the sweep with a 5-2 victory in game two. With the two wins, Hiram moves to 11-11 (4-2 NCAC) on the year, while the Fighting Scots dropped to 11-15 (3-5 NCAC).
 
GAME ONE: HIRAM 5, WOOSTER 3
After Melissa Galindo led off the top of the first with a hit-by-pitch, Kylie Perez launched her third home run of the year, giving the Terriers an early 2-0 lead. Giselle Bahena ten singled to left, and Darian Kanno followed with an RBI double to center, making it a 3-0 Hiram lead after one.
 
Kanno then struck out the side in the bottom of the first, bringing the Terriers back up to the plate in the top of the second, where they further extended their lead.
 
With two outs, Galindo singled to center, and with the hit-and-run on, Perez followed with a single to right, scoring Galindo from first to extend the Terriers' lead to 4-0.
 
Kanno again worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the second, before the Fighting Scots got on the board in the bottom of the third. Addie Tagg and Destany Blake drew back-to-back walks, before a fielder's choice erased Tagg at third. Brooke Swain then fouled out to the catcher, but Stephanie Griffin-Sanchez laced a single to right, scoring Blake to put the Fighting Scots on the board.
 
However, Kanno struck out Likins swinging to strand a pair and end the threat, keeping Hiram up by three.
 
Both teams then went quietly in the fourth, before Bahena gave the Terriers a one-out base runner with a double in the top of the fifth. But Tagg got the next two batters to ground out, sending the Fighting Scots to the plate in the bottom of the frame.
 
And after Swain reached on a bunt single to third, Griffin-Sanchez matched Perez with a two-run homer of her own, cutting Hiram's lead to just one, 4-3, through five.
 
The Terriers then got back to it in the top of the seventh, adding an insurance run on Bahena's sacrifice bunt. Galindo led off the inning with a single, stole second and took third on Perez's single, scoring on Bahena's sacrifice bunt to extend Hiram's lead to 5-3.
 
Tagg got out of the inning without allowing any more damage, but Kanno worked around two base runners in the bottom of the seventh to keep the Fighting Scots off the scoreboard and finish off the 5-3 victory.
 
Kanno (2-4) earned the win, allowing three runs on six hits, walking three and striking out eight over 7.0 innings pitched.
 
Tagg (4-3) took the loss for Wooster, allowing five runs on 10 hits over 7.0 innings pitched.
 
Perez led the Terriers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, run scored and two RBI, while Bahena went 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI.
 
Galindo led the Terriers with three runs scored, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
 
GAME TWO: HIRAM 5, WOOSTER 2
Though Rachael Dudziak retired the first two Terriers in the top of the first, Hiram put together a two-out rally to again take an early lead against the Fighting Scots. Bahena worked a full count and drew a walk, and Kanno followed with a single to center, bringing Angel Santellan to the plate with two on and two out.
 
Santellan promptly smashed a double to right-center, scoring both Bahena and Kanno to give the Terriers a 2-0 lead.
 
However, Wooster quickly came back to tie things up in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Likins singled to right and scored on Katie Agatucci's double to center to cut Hiram's lead to just one. Then Agatucci took third and scored on a passed ball and throwing error, evening the score at 2-2.
 
Both starters then settled down in the second, with Rodriguez stranding a pair of Fighting Scots in the bottom of the second, before the Terriers retook the lead in the top of the third, once again with two outs.
 
Bahena hit a two-out double to right, and Kanno followed with a double of her own, scoring Bahena to give the Terriers a 3-2 lead.
 
And after Rodriguez worked around a two-out walk in the bottom of the third, Hiram added to their lead in both the top of the fourth and fifth.
 
Rodriguez led off the top of the fourth and reached on an error, but was cut down at second on Giselle Chavez's fielder's choice. Avery Balurdi then legged out an infield single, and Leah Valdez drew a hit-by-pitch to load the bases for Galindo, whose sacrifice fly scored Chavez from third and extended Hiram's lead to 4-2.
 
And in the top of the fifth, Bahena and Kanno led off with back-to-back doubles, and Santellan followed with another RBI knock, singling through the left side to score Bahena and make it a 5-2 Terrier lead.
 
Rodriguez then worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth, but the Fighting Scots would threaten in the bottom of the sixth. Back-to-back singles by Agatucci and Kaydee Clark put two on with nobody out for Wooster, but Rodriguez set down the next three batters, two via a flyout and one via a strikeout, to keep the Fighting Scots off the scoreboard.
 
Wooster would again get a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh, but again, Rodriguez would retire the next three hitters, holding the leadoff runner at third base and finishing off the 5-2 victory and a doubleheader sweep.
 
Rodriguez (5-5) earned the win, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits, striking out four over 7.0 innings pitched. Dudziak (5-8) took the loss for Wooster, allowing five runs, four earned, over 4.0 innings pitched.
 
Bahena, Kanno and Santellan led the Terriers at the plate, combining for five doubles and four runs scored. Bahena went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored, Kanno went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI and Santellan went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI.
 
The Terriers next host Case Western Reserve University on Tuesday, April 19 at Myrtis E. Herndon Field in a doubleheader beginning at 3:30 p.m.