GREENCASTLE, Indiana - May 14, 2023 - Hiram won its 4th NCAC Tournament Championship in program history with a 7-0 victory over DePauw in a winner-take-all game on Sunday afternoon at DePauw Tigers Field.
The Terriers have won consecutive conference tournament titles for the first time in program history and have officially clinched a spot in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship.
With the tournament having a double-elimination format, Hiram entered the day with two chances to defend its 2022 title. It fell short in the first game to DePauw, 5-2, before bouncing back in the second game with a dominant performance in a win-or-go-home scenario.
Trinity Meza and Darian Kanno combined for 7 shutout innings in between the circle in Game 2, while Angel Santellan, Victoria Garcia and Giselle Bahena all delivered RBI hits at the plate.
The Terriers had beaten DePauw in the same situation one year ago, losing in the first game of the tournament championship before winning, 5-2, in the decisive contest. The two teams then tied for 1st in the 2023 NCAC Preseason Poll and have since battled it out 5 times this season. Hiram leads the 2023 season series over DePauw, 3-2.
The NCAA Division III Softball Championship Selection Show will air on Monday at 1 p.m. ET on NCAA.com. Hiram will find out its next series of opponents during the broadcast; the tournament will begin with the double-elimination "NCAA Regionals" round.
Stay followed to HiramTerriers.com and @Hiram_Athletics on Twitter for all the latest updates regarding the team's schedule, opponents and links to live video/stats for all games.
Game 1 Recap
The early stages of the day were tightly contested, with neither team leading by more than 1 run through the first 3 innings. DePauw scored first with a run in the first inning, but Kanno was able to settle in as the starting pitcher for the rest of that span.
DePauw added to its lead with 3 runs in the fourth inning and 1 run in the fifth inning. Two of the runs were unearned, giving Kanno a final line of 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 1 K.
Meza pitched 2.1 innings of 1-run ball in relief, while the offense tallied 2 runs on 3 hits in the sixth inning. Abriana Schwartz had a sacrifice fly and Fayth Kawamura singled with a runner on second to cut the deficit to 5-2.
Meza was strong in between the circle for the remainder of the game, but the Tigers held on for the win to force a winner-take-all championship game later in the afternoon.
Game 2 Recap
Hiram was firing on all cylinders right from the start of Game 2; Santellan and Garcia both had RBI singles in the top of the first to match the team's offensive production from the first game. In the home half of the inning, Meza worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam thanks to a popout and groundout.
The Terriers continued to apply pressure in the second inning; Kawamura scored on an error and Bahena notched her first hit of the day on a RBI single to bring the lead to 4-0. Kawamura moved up to the leadoff spot in the lineup for the game and scored 2 of the team's 7 runs.
More insurance came in the form of Santellan's RBI single in the fourth inning and 2 runs in the seventh inning on a wild pitch and RBI groundout by Kawamura. Santellan finished the contest with team-highs in hits (3) and RBI (2, T-1st with Kawamura).
Meza and Kanno had two of their best pitching performances of the year when the team needed it the most; Meza finished with 3 scoreless innings and Kanno worked 4 scoreless frames. The Tigers wouldn't record an extra-base hit for the entire game.
Kanno retired the side in order in the seventh inning, which ended with the team jumping and celebrating together just next to the circle in the middle of the field. The Terriers had done it yet again, winning 7 of their last 8 games to extend another historic season for the program into the later stages of May.
