LEESBURG, Florida - March 6, 2024 - It was a tale of two games on Wednesday for the Hiram softball team, as the Terriers won a pitcher's duel against Neumann (1-0) before a promising comeback run fell just short in an offensive showdown against Calvin (12-7).
Hiram now has two wins this season, with four more chances to add to that total for the remainder of its time in Florida.
Game 1 Recap
Angel Santellan was the star of the show in the first game of the day against Neumann, as she worked seven scoreless innings to record her first shutout since her freshman season against Allegheny (April 15, 2021). The only other shutout in her career came on April 11 that same season against Kenyon.
It was perhaps one of the most dominating outings of Santellan's pitching career, as she didn't allow an extra-base hit the entire game. Neumann advanced a runner to third base in the first inning and to second base in the fourth and seventh innings, but no damage was done. Her final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
The Hiram offense almost broke the scoring barrier in the fourth inning, when it had runners at the corners with no outs, but the Knights would get out of trouble on a caught stealing.
The Terriers finally came through in the home half of the seventh frame, when Abriana Schwartz led off the inning with a double before coming around to score on a walk-off single by first-year Haven Papineau. It marked the second hit of Papineau's career and her first ever collegiate RBI.
Game 2 Recap
Hiram jumped out to a 1-0 lead against Calvin on a Kylie Perez steal of third base, but the opposition responded with five runs in the home half of the third inning. Ali Schultz hit a pinch-hit RBI triple to lead the rally.
As has been the case throughout their trip to Florida, the Terriers showed fight against one of the top-teams in Division III softball so far this season. Daniele Robles, Kayla Prigge and Abriana Schwartz all had RBI singles, while Papineau brought home a run on an error to bring the deficit to 8-5.
Calvin struck back with another four runs, but Hiram again responded with a pair of runs in the seventh inning, as Papineau earned an RBI on a fielder's choice and senior Viviana Macias singled through the right side to score her teammate.
Larissa Baeza singled to extend the seventh inning further, but a flyout marked the end of the game. It was a strong showing from the offense against a team that is now 6-0 this season.
What's Next
The Terriers will travel to Kissimmee, Florida for a twinbill against Northland at 11:15 a.m. and Aurora at 1:45 p.m. from the Fortune Road Fields.
