WQIO Ohio's Super Station
FAIRFIELD, Ohio — The Kenyon College Owls softball team continued its impressive season with a commanding doubleheader sweep against Miami University-Hamilton on Wednesday afternoon at Waterworks Park. The Owls improved to 14-4 on the season with a 12-4 victory in game one, followed by a 7-1 win in game two.
In the opener, Kenyon’s offense erupted for 12 hits and took advantage of six Miami-Hamilton errors to secure a convincing 12-4 win in six innings. After spotting the Harriers a 3-1 lead through two innings, the Owls exploded for six runs in the third inning to take control of the game.
Sophomore Natalya Delsante led the offensive charge, going 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Junior Emma Cashell added two hits, two runs, and drove in two, while sophomore Sophia Lynch contributed two hits and an RBI. Eight different Kenyon players recorded at least one hit in the balanced attack.
Junior Kylie Hamm earned the win in the circle, improving her pitching record to 4-3 on the season. She allowed four runs (just one earned) over four innings while striking out three. Sophomore Jillian Messinger closed out the game with two perfect innings of relief, recording four strikeouts.
The Owls kept the momentum going in the second game, using a 13-hit attack to secure a 7-1 victory. After taking an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, Kenyon broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning.
Senior Keala Montgomery paced the offense, going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Sophomore Brooke Avila added two hits and drove in two runs, while first-year Madison Buckwalter contributed two hits and an RBI. Sophomore Maeve McLaughlin and junior Mara Thomas also collected two hits apiece.
In the circle, the Owls used a committee approach with four pitchers combining to limit Miami-Hamilton to just two hits and one unearned run. Sophomore Allison McCutchen earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief, improving to 3-0 on the season. First-years Izzy Akin and Sadie Klyver each threw a scoreless inning to close out the victory.
With the doubleheader sweep, Kenyon continued to showcase its depth and versatility, leading to three wins in four games since returning from spring break. The team hopes to keep building on that momentum, as it heads toward conference play, which gets underway Saturday with a home doubleheader against DePauw University. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
