HIRAM, Ohio - April 29, 2023 - The Hiram softball team clinched a spot in the NCAC Tournament thanks to a doubleheader sweep of Wooster (6-1 and 4-3), highlighted by a walk-off, 2-run homer by Darian Kanno in Game 2.

The Terriers locked in the No. 4 seed in the NCAC Tournament, which begins on Friday, May 12 and will be played at either DePauw or Denison. Hiram is the defending NCAC Tournament champions.

"We just kept on fighting," head coach Summer Collins said of the team's ability to win its last 4 games to secure the final spot in the conference tournament. "Just having a team that, even when they're down, they still believe that they're in this game and that they're going to win. They're a special crew."

Kanno had a day full of contributions once again; she pitched a complete game and earned her 9th victory of the season in Game 1 before lifting a home run to the deepest part of the park to win it in Game 2. She now has 5 home runs this season and 7 in her career.

In Game 2, Hiram trailed 3-2 with 1 out in the bottom of the seventh inning before Giselle Bahena laced a single through the left side to put the tying run at first base and the go-ahead run at home plate. Then Kanno crushed the ball to center field, a high fly ball that had the center fielder running with her back to the infield. It eventually carried over the fence to score the team's 2 biggest runs of the year.

"Giselle and Darian, they're game-changers," Collins said. "They stepped up and they wanted to win this game. I'm so happy for them because they've earned it. They've earned every single bit of this."

Prior to the walk-off, Jeskari Rodriguez had retired two straight batters with a runner at third base to keep the deficit at 3-2 in the top of the seventh. Rodriguez earned her first victory of the season.

Bahena finished Game 2 with a season-high 3 hits and 1 RBI, while Kylie Perez knocked in the team's other run. Bahena, Perez, Rodriguez, Victoria Garcia and Avery Balurdi were all honored before the doubleheader as part of the team's Senior Day festivities. The seniors, along with the rest of the team, celebrated together knowing its postseason ticket had officially been punched.

In Game 1, the Terriers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to 4 hits, including RBI singles by Bahena, Angel Santellan and Garcia. Two innings later, the team tacked on another 3 runs; Kanno found the left-field line for an RBI single and Abriana Schwartz singled to the opposite-field to knock in 2 more runs. 

That run support would be more than enough for Kanno, who allowed just 2 baserunners in Game 1 and finished with a final line of 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Her efforts put Hiram in a win-or-go-home situation for Game 2 -- a moment the team was able to conquer and an emotional finish to a successful regular season.

"It's not how you start, it's how you finish," Collins said. "We just kept building on that."