HIRAM, Ohio – April 30, 2026 - Hiram's Avery Contini gave up a season-low three hits, as the Terriers stung Waynesburg with a 5-0 victory in the opener of the double-elimination PAC Tournament on Thursday morning.
With the win, Hiram will play top-seeded Westminster at 2 p.m. at Westminster Softball Field on Thursday. The Titans received a first-round bye as the conference's regular season champions, clinching the No.1 seed and the right to host the entire weekend.
The Terriers broke the scoring barrier in the bottom of the third inning, with Lola Thomas (reached by error) and Danielle Robles (single) both moving into scoring position for Ari Torres, who singled to right field to score Thomas. Megan Moser followed with a sacrifice fly to score Robles – giving the "home team" a 2-0 lead.
Contini and the Terriers defense only allowed three Yellow Jackets to reach scoring position – all of whom were left stranded. Contini forced two groundouts with a runner on third and one out in the second to get out of the inning. Later in the fifth, the defense turned an inning-ending double play to keep Waynesburg scoreless.
That proved to be a key moment for Hiram, as it stretched its lead to 4-0 in the fourth frame, as Contini -- who was also in the batting order -- reached on an error by the Yellow Jackets defense. Hiram took advantage of that error as it scored the two runners on base.
Hiram capitalized on its last at-bats, as Daynna Mekaru tripled down the right-field line. Thomas hit a sacrifice bunt to score Mekaru and put the exclamation mark on a 5-0 win.
Contini pitched her first career shutout, limiting Waynesburg to just three hits. The freshman also chipped in three strikeouts.
The Terriers will return to the field this afternoon, with a chance to advance evern further in the winner's bracket against a Westminster team it competed closely with earlier this season.
