Denison Softball Eliminated from NCAA Regional in Game 4

5/15/2026 6:29:32 PM

MARSHALL, TX - Denison (20-21) fell 13-6 to St. Thomas (TX) (31-11) in a must win Game 4, which eliminated the Big Red from the NCAA Division III Softball Regional.

Denison ends the 2026 season as NCAC tournament champions and earned a bid into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2012.

GAME 4: St. Thomas (TX) 13, Denison 6

Brianna Gonzalez (Bellmore, NY/Wellington C. Mepham) launched a grand slam to highlight a five-run fifth inning, but Denison couldn't overcome an early deficit in a 12-6 loss to St. Thomas (TX) on Friday.
St. Thomas struck for five runs in the second inning and added three more in the third to take an 8-0 lead, with two Denison errors contributing to the unearned runs that piled up early.
The Big Red got going in the fifth. Emily Orsini (Glen Mills, PA/Garnet Valley) and Madilyn Moffitt (New Castle, IN/New Castle) drew back-to-back walks, and Brooke Surbaugh (San Bruno, CA/St. Ignatius) worked another free pass to load the bases. Leilah Ferrari (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota West) brought home the first run on a fielder's choice RBI before Riley Smith (Portland, OR/Jesuit) reached on another walk to reload the bases, setting the stage for Gonzalez, who crushed a grand slam to plate Smith, Ferrari and Surbaugh and pull Denison within three at 5-8.
Indy Workman (Greene County, IN/ Eastern Greene) added one more in the sixth, scoring on a play that began with Carley Melton's (Cypress, TX/Bridgeland) caught stealing attempt at second base, but St. Thomas answered with four insurance runs in the bottom half to push the lead back to 12-6.
Denison threatened one last time in the seventh as Ferrari and Gonzalez both singled, but the Big Red couldn't push another run across.
Gonzalez led the offense with two hits and four RBI on the grand slam, while Ferrari added a hit and an RBI. Workman, Melton and Surbaugh each chipped in offensively, with Workman reaching base twice via walk.

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