HIRAM, Ohio – May 2, 2026 – The Hiram softball team earned a 15-14 walk-off victory over No. 6 Saint Vincent to stay alive in the PAC Tournament on Saturday morning.
With the win, Hiram will play this afternoon at 4 p.m. Their matchup will be decided with the conclusion of the 12 p.m. game between No. 3 Bethany vs No. 5 Waynesburg – with the Terriers matching up with the winner of that game as part of the bottom bracket of the tournament.
An offensive explosion from both teams resulted in 39 hits combined – with 20 of them coming from the Hiram bats. Their 20 hits in a single game are the tied for second-most in program history, trailing only a 21-hit effort vs WPI in 2007.
The Terriers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, taking advantage of two Bearcat defensive errors. Danielle Robles reached second base on a throwing error before the bats put two balls in play to advance her to third. Kayla Prigge reached on a fielder's choice that resulted in another Saint Vincent error, with Robles scoring on the play.
Hannah Marlow singled through the left side to knock a run in and take a 2-0 lead. Marlow shined in the Terriers lineup, going 4-for-5 with three RBI.
Saint Vincent tacked on three runs in the top of the third inning to take a 3-2 advantage.
Hiram responded when it mattered most – with its season on the line – scoring nine runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings combined. The outburst led to an 11-3 lead.
Similar to the first inning, two Bearcat errors put two runners in scoring position, with Marlow knocking a single to right field to clear the bases. The bottom of the lineup then strung together four consecutive hits, featuring a double from Daynna Mekaru and RBI single from Hannah Schimmoeller. Yasmine Clark capped the streak off with an RBI single up the middle. The Bearcat lead only held for a brief moment, as Hiram capitalized with a five-run third inning.
The Terriers offense created even more distance in the fourth with Schimmoeller's first career home run – a grand slam to left field and into the lake near the Westminster softball field. The freshman's first long ball came in the biggest spot of the season, furthering her recent surge as one of the team's best hitters over the last month.
Saint Vincent wouldn't back down, though, as it cut the margin to three runs (11-8) in the top of the sixth inning. Hiram then responded with three runs of its own in the home half of the frame, as the flurry of offense continued to pile up.
Lola Thomas and Robles each singled to knock runners in – Megan Moser then had a bases-loaded situation and answered with an infield single to score a run and increase the lead to 14-8.
The seesaw nature of the game continued to take form, as Saint Vincent exploded for a six-run seventh inning to knot the game at 14-14 in the top of the seventh. With both teams facing elimination, the stakes were high and the pressure was mounting.
Hiram then answered quickly in some of its most important at-bats of 2026, as the team loaded the bases with no outs. Marlow reached base with an infield single followed by Mekaru reaching off a fielder's choice. Schimmoeller stepped up big again with a single to left field to load the bases and put the game-winning run at third base. Lola Thomas then delivered her second walk-off hit of the season - dropping a single into right field to advance the Terriers with a 15-14 win.
Yasmine Clark earned her first postseason win with the Terriers. Clark pitched the first six innings - exiting with a 6-run lead. She later re-entered the game to escape the Bearcats seventh-inning burst and keep the score tied at 14-14.
Hiram will await its competition as they advance to the 4 p.m. game this afternoon at Westminster Softball Field.
