HIRAM, Ohio - March 19, 2025 - Hiram split its doubleheader with Westminster, winning 3-2 in Game 1 behind another masterful performance from Darian Kanno in the circle before falling in a tight Game 2, 3-2.
Kanno improved to a perfect 6-0 with six complete games on the season, while Danielle Robles had five hits over the course of the two games.
Game 1 Recap
The Terriers continued to find the form that has made them one of the best teams in the region over the last five seasons, combining strong pitching with timely hitting to win a tight, low-scoring affair.
Kanno effectively worked around traffic throughout the game, stranding 10 runners on base and allowing just one run in both the third and sixth innings. Her final line was enough to earn a sixth straight win to open the 2025 season – 8 IP, 8 H, 2 R/ER, 3 BB, 8 K.
Hiram scored a pair of runs in the third inning on a dropped fly ball in right field and RBI triple from Kanno, but both teams couldn't muster more than those two runs through the first seven innings. After playing an 11-inning game in their last meeting at Herndon Field in 2023, the teams were officially heading to extra innings yet again.
After Kanno stranded a runner at second in the top-half of the inning, Hiram cashed in on Kanno's walk-off squeeze bunt in the bottom-half. Marlow started the inning by bunting Fayth Kawamura from second to third base before Kanno strategically placed a bunt to score her senior teammate and earn a walk-off victory in the first game at Herndon Field this season.
Game 2 Recap
Sammy Ochoa had a career day in Game 2, working another complete game and allowing just three runs during that span. The top of the Westminster lineup had three RBI in the third inning, but Ochoa gave her team a chance for the doubleheader sweep with a line of 7 IP, 9 H, 3 R/ER, 5 BB, 2 K.
Despite trailing 3-0, Hiram pulled within one run thanks to a pair of runs in the fifth. Kayla Prigge singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch, setting the table for Robles to knock her in on a single and Kawamura to later notching an RBI single of her own.
Hiram got the go-ahead run to third base with one out in the sixth inning, but a pair of popouts brought the rally to a halt. Westminster's Cheyenne Piper then retired each of the three Terriers she faced in the seventh inning to even the doubleheader between future PAC opponents.
What's Next
Hiram will take part in the BSN Sports Softball Classic on Saturday and Sunday, a four-game event featuring the Terriers, Marietta and Penn State Behrend in Marietta, OH.
