HIRAM, Ohio - April 23, 2022 – Hiram softball swept their third-straight conference doubleheader, shutting out the Kenyon College Ladies over pair of games on Senior Day on Saturday at Myrtis E. Herndon Field. Behind Darian Kanno's no-hitter, Hiram took game one over the Ladies, 10-0, in a run-rule shortened five innings before wrapping up the doubleheader sweep with a 7-0 victory in game two. Hiram moves to 15-11 (8-2 NCAC) with the two wins, while Kenyon drops to 22-14 (4-8 NCAC).
 
GAME ONE: HIRAM 10, KENYON 0 (5 INNINGS)
After Kanno worked around a two-out baserunner in the top of the first, Hiram quickly got on the scoreboard, putting a five-spot up in the bottom of the frame.
 
Melissa Galindo led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch but was out at second on Kylie Perez's fielder's choice. Giselle Bahena then smacked a double to right-center, putting runners at second and third for Kanno, who legged out an infield single to bring Perez home and give Hiram a 1-0 lead.
 
Angel Santellan then reached on a fielder's choice as well, bringing Bahena in to score and she slid in safely just out of the reach of the tag.
 
Up 2-0, Abrianna Schwartz then cleared the bases with a two-run triple to right-center, and a batter later, Giselle Chavez brought her home with another infield single, giving the Terriers a 5-0 lead after one.
 
Kanno worked a 1-2-3 top of the second, striking out a pair, but the Terriers left two runners on in the bottom of the frame.
 
Kenyon worked the bases loaded in the top of the third, threatening to score with two, two-out walks, but Kanno kept the Ladies off the scoreboard, striking out Bella Albrecht to end the threat and keep her no-hitter intact.
 
The Terriers then got back to work in the bottom of the third, pushing three more runs across. Schwartz led off the frame, reaching on an error, and took third on Chavez's double to right. Leah Valdez brought Schwartz home with a single, extending Hiram's lead to 6-0 before both Chavez and Valdez came around to score on a Kenyon throwing error to make it 8-0.
 
Kanno kept things rolling in the fourth, setting the Ladies down in order in the top of the frame, and Hiram again added to their lead in the bottom of the inning.
 
After a leadoff single by Bahena, Kanno reached on a fielder's choice to third, and Keegan Whitton, who pinch-ran for Bahena, moved to second on an error.
The freshman duo took second and third on a wild pitch before Santellan added two more RBI to her tally, bringing home both with a two-run single through the right side to make it 10-0.
 
And with a run-rule victory in sight, Kanno struck out the first two batters she faced in the top of the fifth, before getting Grace Finn to pop out to finish off the no-hitter and run-rule shortened, 10-0 five-inning victory.
 
Kanno (5-4) earned the win, striking out eight over 5.0 innings pitched. The freshman pitched Hiram's first no-hitter of the year, and the first in program history since at least 2011.
 
Nicole Bishay (14-5) took the loss for Kenyon, allowing 10 runs, six earned, on 11 hits over 4.0 innings pitched.
 
Bahena tallied three hits to lead the Terriers, going 3-for-3 with a run scored, while Schwartz went 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored and two RBI.
 
Chavez and Kanno each tallied two hits as well, with Kanno going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, and Chavez going 2-for-2 with a double, run scored and RBI.
 
GAME TWO: HIRAM 7, KENYON 0
Though Galindo again led off the bottom of the first with a hit-by-pitch, neither team was able to push a run across till the Terriers got going in the bottom of the second.
 
After the Ladies grounded into their first of two double plays in-game to end the top of the second inning, Hiram struck first for a pair in the bottom of the frame.
 
Santellan led off the frame with a single to center and was pinch-ran for by Hunter Whitton. Schwartz drew a walk and Jeskari Rodriguez singled to load the bases for Chavez, who hit into a fielder's choice.
 
A wild pitch then brought the first run of the game home, and a batter later, Galindo singled to short, scoring Rodriguez to make it a 2-0 Hiram lead.
 
Rodriguez got another double play, erasing a leadoff single by Emily Pater, in the top of the third, and the Terriers added another in the bottom of the inning.
 
Bahena led off with a single, and Kanno quickly brought her home with a triple to right, extending Hiram's lead to 3-0.
 
Both teams went scoreless in the fourth, but after Rodriguez worked a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, Hiram got back on the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame.
 
With one out, Kanno singled to center, and Santellan followed with a double, putting runners at second and third. Schwartz then walked to load the bases for Rodriguez, who helped herself with a sacrifice fly, scoring Kanno to give Hiram a 4-0 lead.
 
Chavez then made it 5-0 with an RBI single through the right side, scoring Santellan from third.
 
The Terriers would add two more in the bottom of the sixth on Perez's steal of home, and Santellan's RBI double, scoring Bahena, to make it a 7-0 game heading to the seventh.
 
And though Rodriguez allowed a leadoff baserunner, she got the next three batters to finish off the 7-0 win, and a doubleheader sweep of the Ladies.
 
Rodriguez (6-5) earned the win, allowing just one hit over 7.0 innings pitched, walking three and striking out two. Pater (8-8) took the loss for Kenyon, allowing seven runs, five earned, on 13 hits over 6.0 innings pitched.
 
Santellan led Hiram, offensively, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI. Kanno added two hits, including a triple, going 2-for-4 with a triple, run scored and RBI, while Galindo went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the leadoff spot.
 
The Terriers will look to keep rolling when they wrap up the weekend with a conference doubleheader against the Wittenberg University Tigers on Sunday, April 24 at Myrtis E. Herndon Field beginning at 2 p.m.