HIRAM, Ohio - April 24, 2022 – Hiram softball kept things rolling with their eighth-straight conference win on Sunday, sweeping their doubleheader against the Wittenberg University Tigers on Sunday at Myrtis E. Herndon Field. The Terriers took game one, 8-0, in a run-rule shortened six-innings, before coming back from an early deficit to take game two, 7-2. With the two wins, Hiram moves to 17-11 (10-2 NCAC) on the year, while Wittenberg drops to 12-15 (3-7 NCAC).
 
GAME ONE: HIRAM 8, WITTENBERG 0 (6 INNINGS)
Though Darian Kanno wouldn't pitch her second-straight no-hitter against the Tigers, she worked around a leadoff single, stranding Elise Freeland at third in the top of the first.
 
The Terriers then took the lead in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Kylie Perez singled to center and took second on Giselle Bahena's single through the left side. Perez was caught trying to steal third, but Bahena took second and came home as Kanno reached on an error, giving Hiram a 1-0 lead.
 
Kanno then struck out the side in the top of the second, and Hiram added to their tally in the bottom of the inning.
 
A pair of singles by Abriana Schwartz and Natalie Mallas, as well as a hit-by-pitch drawn by Leah Valdez, loaded the bases for Melissa Galindo, who hit into a fielder's choice. Perez then cleared the bases with a double down the left-field line, extending Hiram's lead to 4-0.
 
And after Perez took third on a passed ball, Bahena smacked a double to left-center, scoring Perez to make it a 5-0 Hiram lead.
 
Both sides went quiet in the third and fourth, with Kanno picking up another strikeout to start the third before Hiram pushed another run across in the bottom of the fifth.
 
With one out, Bahena hit her second double of the day to left-center, and Kanno drew a hit-by-pitch, putting runners and first and third. Angel Santellan reached on a fielder's choice and then moved to second on a passed ball before Schwartz picked up an RBI, scoring Kanno from third to extend Hiram's lead to 6-0.
 
Wittenberg then looked to answer, loading the bases with a hit-by-pitch and a pair of infield singles in the top of the sixth. But Kanno got Hanna Ecker to ground into a fielder's choice at home, struck out Nikki Hawkins looking, and then got Alexis Christy to foul out to leave the bases loaded and keep Hiram out front by six.
 
The Terriers then proceeded to walk things off in a run-rule fashion. Mallas led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to center and took third as Valdez reached and moved to second on an error.
 
A batter later, Perez knocked in her fourth and fifth runs of the day, lacing a two-run double down the right-field line to finish off the 8-0, run-rule victory for the Terriers.
 
Kanno (6-4) earned the win for Hiram, shutting out her opponent for the second straight game while striking out seven Tigers.
 
Samantha Zungri (2-4) took the loss for Wittenberg, allowing eight runs, six earned, on 11 hits.
 
Perez led the Terriers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and a career-high five RBI. Bahena also notched two doubles, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI.
 
GAME TWO: HIRAM 7, WITTENBERG 2
After getting shutout in game one, Wittenberg struck first in game two. Freeland drew a leadoff hit-by-pitch against Jeskari Rodriguez and took second on Julia Burch's sacrifice bunt.
 
Clara Andersen then gave the Tigers their first and only lead of the doubleheader, doubling to left just out of the reach of Mallas to score Freeland, and Hawkins followed with a sacrifice fly to deep left, falling just feet short of a home run, to extend the Tigers' lead to 2-0.
 
However, the Terriers quickly answered in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Bahena got things going with a single to center, and Kanno launched a ground-rule double down the left-field line to put two in scoring position for Hiram.
 
Santellan then found a hole in the infield, singling through the left side to score Bahena, but Kanno was thrown out at home to end the inning and keep the Tigers out in front by a run.
 
But after Rodriguez settled down and pitched a scoreless second, Hiram took the lead in the bottom of the frame.
 
Schwartz led off the inning with a walk but was out at second on Mallas' fielder's choice. Valdez then singled up the middle to put two on for Galindo, who tripled to left-center and scored on an errant throw, giving the Terriers a 4-2 lead.
 
Perez then singled through the left side, and Bahena reached on a dropped fly ball, scoring Perez to extend Hiram's lead to 5-2.
 
In the circle for Hiram, Rodriguez began to get rolling, working a 1-2-3 third, and working around a leadoff single to keep the score at 5-2 Hiram in the fourth.
 
The Terriers then added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth, putting together another two-out rally. Perez got things started with an infield single, and Bahena followed with another double to left-center, scoring Perez to make it a 6-2 lead.
 
Kanno then brought Bahena home with an RBI single to extend the lead to 7-2.
 
In the top of the fifth, Wittenberg put two on with just one out against Rodriguez, but a fielder's choice and foul out got the Terriers out of the jam.
 
Rodriguez worked a 1-2-3 sixth, and with some help from a 5-4-3 double play, finished things off with a 1-2-3 seventh to cap off the 7-2 victory and doubleheader sweep for the Terriers.
 
Rodriguez (7-5) earned the win for Hiram, allowing two runs on five hits, striking out three over 7.0 innings pitched. Kira van Ravensberg (6-10) took the loss for Wittenberg, allowing seven runs, six earned, on 11 hits.
 
Kanno led Hiram with three hits, going 3-for-3 with a double and RBI, while three more Terriers tallied multi-hit games. Bahena went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI to extend her hitting streak to 21 games, Perez went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Santellan went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
 
Hiram will look to keep on rolling when it wraps up non-conference play on Tuesday, April 26 in Berea, Ohio with a doubleheader against Baldwin Wallace beginning at 3:30 p.m.