GREENCASTLE, Indiana - May 9, 2024 - Hiram's veteran leaders stepped up when the team needed it the most in the winner's bracket of the NCAC Tournament, as five shutout innings from Trinity Meza and timely hits from Abriana Schwartz and Kylie Perez was enough to lift the team to a 3-1 win over DePauw on Thursday afternoon.
The victory secures the team's spot in the championship round on Friday, where it will play either #1 DePauw or #2 Denison at 1:30 p.m. A win in that game would secure the conference championship. A loss would force a winner-take-all game on Sunday at 11 a.m.
The Terriers turned to Meza in a big spot, something the senior has grown accustomed to throughout her three seasons with the program. As an NCAC All-Tournament Team and NCAA All-Regional Team selection in 2023, Meza continued to add to her postseason resume with five scoreless innings in the circle.
"I would say my curveball and my riseball were working really well today," Meza said.
The senior's ability to keep hitters off-balanced and create weak contact helped her to a final line of 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 1 K. DePauw didn't have an extra-base hit for the entirety of the outing.
While Meza was hanging zeroes on the scoreboard, the Hiram offense continued to knock on the door before finally breaking through with two runs in the fourth inning and another run in the fifth frame.
In the fourth, Danielle Robles and Daynna Mekaru each singled, Haven Papineau was hit by a pitch, and Schwartz delivered a two-run single to the opposite field to give the Terriers a 2-0 lead. The critical base hit came with two outs and a two-strike count.
"I was proud of my teammates for getting on base. I knew I had to come up big (in that situation)," Schwartz said of delivering in a nail-biting spot. "I just tried to shut the mind off and come through."
One inning later, Perez lifted the ball to the deepest part of the field – dead center field – to bring the lead to 3-0 through four-and-a-half innings. It marked Perez's eighth career home run and her first long ball since March 25 at Heidelberg.
"My game has been a little off, so I talked to Coach (Tyron McKinney) – he really helped me," Perez said of the adjustments she's made this postseason. "I was just thinking 'top of the ball, hands through the ball and load them higher.'"
After throwing a shutout in the team's opening game against DePauw, Kanno returned to the circle to pitch the final two innings in relief. The Tigers scored a run in the home half of the seventh, but a groundout to Fayth Kawamura ended the game and brought Hiram one win closer to another title.
The Terriers will await the winner of DePauw-Denison, which will be played on Friday at 11 a.m. Approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of that game, Hiram will take the field and play for a chance at making history.
