GRANVILLE, OH - DePauw captured its second-consecutive and league-leading eighth overall North Coast Athletic Conference softball tournament title in program history after defeating Denison in 10 innings, 6-5, in game 6 of the 2025 NCAC Softball Tournament on Friday in Granville, Ohio. The Big Red advanced into the tournament finale by defeating Wittenberg 9-1 in five innings in game 5 earlier in the day.
As conference champions, the Tigers have earned the league's automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. The NCAA Division III selection show will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 12, on NCAA.com.
Game 5 - No. 1 Denison 9, No. 4 Wittenberg 1 (5 innings)
- The Wittenberg Tigers used their first at bat to get on the board early with one run thanks to a Hanna Ecker (Heath, OH/Heath) single that scored Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH/Arcanum).
- Denison responded with seven runs in the bottom half of the first. The Big Red started their scoring with Indy Workman (Greene County, IN/Eastern Greene) touching the plate due to a muffed throw to first, to even the score at 1-1. Jacqui Abogado (Naperville, IL/Naperville Central) then doubled to plate Annabelle Calderon (Perris, CA/Orange Vista), which was followed by Leilah Ferrari (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota West) hitting a sacrifice fly to left to score Madilyn Moffitt (New Castle, IN/New Castle) and Abogado scoring on a throwing error for a 4-1 lead. The Big Red tacked on another two runs thanks to an RBI single by Brianna Gonzalez (Bellmore, NY/Wellington C. Mepham), which scored Alex Longstreth (Carmel, IN/Carmel), before Workman earned an RBI after getting hit to reach base to score Emily Orsini (Glen Mills, PA/Garnet Valley). A wild pitch would then score Gonzalez for a 7-1 lead.
- Denison added two more runs in the bottom half of the second after Ferrari tripled to score Abogado, while Orsini singled down the left field line to score Ferrari.
- Abogado and Workman led Denison with two hits apiece, while Abogado also added two runs and an RBI and Ferrari collected two RBI.
- Sydney Silverstein (Atlanta, GA/Pace Academy) earned the win on the mound for the Big Red, throwing five innings, while allowing four hits and striking out two batters.
Game 6 - No. 2 DePauw 6, No. 1 Denison 5 (10 innings)
- Three-and-a-half scoreless innings would start game 6. DePauw would take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth off a Callie Rheinheimer (Lebanon, IN/Zionsville) single that scored Paige Brady (Tucson, AZ/Tanque Verde).
- Down by one and heading into their last at-bat, the Denison Big Red used three singles to load the bases. A pair of back-to-back doubles by Workman and Calderon scored Longstreth, Orsini and Carley Melton (Cypress, TX/Bridgeland) for the 3-1 lead, heading into the bottom of the seventh. The Tigers responded with two runs off a Katie Mathies (Shelbyville, IN/Shelbyville) single that plated Libby Minobe (Fort Wayne, IN/Homestead) and a double by Ella Kuenster (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park and River Forest HS) that scored Angelese Cruz (Chicago, IL/Pritzker College Prep), which pushed the game into extra innings.
- After a scoreless eighth and ninth inning, Workman leadoff the tenth with a hit-by-pitch, before Calderon stepped to the plate and belted a two-run homer for the 5-3 Denison lead. DePauw scored off a Minobe single to center that scored Riley Heim (Indianapolis, IN/Cardinal Ritter) to cut the deficit to one, 5-4. An error would give the Tigers two runs for the 6-5 win.
- Denison was led by Calderon who went 2-for-5 with three RBI and Longstreth, who went 2-for-4 with a scored run. Alex Romero-Salas (Paranaque City, National Capital Region (NCR)/Calvert Academy) led the DePauw offense with a 3-for-5 effort, while Macey Cox (McCordsville, IN/Mt. Vernon) earned two RBI and Minobe scored two runs.
- Romero-Salas earned the win on the mound, allowing one hit through three innings of relief.
2025 NCAC Softball All-Tournament Team
Darian Kanno, Hiram
Hanna Ecker, Wittenberg
Riley Heim, DePauw
Annabelle Calderon, Denison
Ella Kuenster, DePauw
Indy Workman, Denison
Maddie Lockridge, DePauw
Hanna Coffel, DePauw
Pitcher: Brooke Surbaugh, Denison
Pitcher: Izzy Deveau, DePauw
At-Large: Madison Moffit, Denison
MVP: Alex Romero-Salas, DePauw