CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - May 27, 2023 - The Hiram softball team battled until the final pitch of the season, piecing together its best moments of the Super Regional round in the seventh inning of Game 2 before losing a nail-biter to Coe College, 2-1.
With Hiram trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Giselle Bahena hit a leadoff single and Danielle Robles pinch-ran for her teammate and stole second base. Angel Santellan then hit a 1-out single up the middle to give Robles a chance to score, but a perfect throw from center field led to a tag at home plate on a bang-bang play that could have gone either way.
The Terriers kept battling, though, as Megan Moser would come through later in the inning with a 2-out, RBI single to cut the deficit in half and keep the bases loaded. Coe would get out of the jam and strand the tying and winning runs in scoring position to secure its spot in the NCAA Tournament Finals (final 8 teams in tournament bracket).
It marks the end to a historic season for Hiram; the program was making its first ever appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals after sweeping past the competition in the Cleveland Regional last weekend and clinching its 4th NCAC Tournament title on May 14. The team's 27 wins are tied for the 2nd-most in a single season in program history.
Hiram had 3 of its 4 hits in that final inning, a clutch effort that brought a crowd of over 700 fans to their feet in the last few plays of the Super Regional. Bahena's leadoff single in that inning was the 224th and final hit of her 6-year career at Hiram, extending a program record and fueling a late rally that almost forced a decisive Game 3.
Trinity Meza delivered in a big spot yet again, tossing 5 innings of 2-run ball to finish her breakout campaign with a 1.72 ERA. Jeskari Rodriguez came on in relief of Meza and fired two scoreless frames in the last outing of her remarkable career with the Terriers; Rodriguez finishes with a .241 career opposing batting average, the 2nd-best mark in program history.
The Kohawks scored their two runs in the third and fifth innings to clinch their trip to the NCAA Finals in Marshall, Texas. Hannah Ausenhus pitched all 7 innings in the circle to improve her record to 14-3.
Hiram played well in all facets of the game this season; the team batted .312, pitched to a 2.34 ERA and had a fielding percentage of 0.961. The pitching staff of Darian Kanno, Meza, Santellan, Rodriguez, Ryan Leto and Laci Carter combined for the best ERA the program has ever had in a single season.
The Terriers will now set their sights on 2024, with a good portion of the roster set to return. Hiram will be seeking a 3rd straight NCAA Tournament appearance and will also be defending its NCAC Tournament crown once again.
