HIRAM, Ohio – April 27, 2025 – Hiram took a 7-7 tie into the ninth inning against the No. 5 team in all of Division III, but ultimately fell just short in a pair of losses to Denison on Sunday at Fishel Field (9-7 in Game 1 | 12-1 in Game 2).

The Terriers nearly outhit their opposition in the first game (13-12), with five different hitters recording multiple base knocks and the offense roaring back to turn a 4-0 deficit and 7-3 hole into an eventual 7-7 tie.

It started in the fifth inning, when Ethan Ryan and Ben Yoder led off the frame with singles before Logan Gallentine (RBI single) and Matthew Trimble (RBI double) brought them home. Tyler Fernandez added a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game, 4-3.

Denison scored the next three runs to take a 7-3 lead, but Hiram answered with four runs in the seventh inning against a team that now has a 3.20 ERA for the entire season. Five of the first six hitters reached base on either a single or walk in the inning, leading to the first trio of runs. Chaisson Marrs capped off the rally with a game-tying RBI single; Denison escaped without any further damage thanks to a relay play that prevented the go-ahead run from crossing home plate on Marrs' RBI single.

With the score even, the Terriers opted for right-hander Nicolas Chernitsky to pitch the final two innings in what was his first relief outing of the year. The sophomore looked strong and worked a clean eighth inning before Max Fishbein lifted a go-ahead two-run homer to seal the tightly contested battle.

Denison rode that momentum into Game 2, as it scored 11 runs in the middle innings to take a 12-1 win. Hiram's John Bender had a pair of hits, while relievers Andrew Pawley and Ethan Godwin each logged scoreless innings out of the 'pen.

Hiram will return to non-conference action on Monday, when it hosts Grove City at 4 p.m.