SPRINGFIELD, OH - Denison captured its seventh overall North Coast Athletic Conference softball tournament title in program history after defeating Wittenberg, 4-3, in game 6 of the 2026 NCAC Softball Tournament on Friday in Springfield, Ohio. The Tigers advanced into the tournament finale by defeating DePauw 3-2 in game 5 earlier in the day.
As conference tournament champions, the Big Red have earned the league's automatic bid into the 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. The NCAA Division III selection show will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 11, on NCAA.com.
Game 6 - No. 3 Denison 4, No. 1 Wittenberg 3
- Brooke Surbaugh (San Bruno, CA/St. Ignatius) delivered a walk-off RBI single to right-center in the bottom of the seventh and earned the win in relief as Denison edged Wittenberg 4-3 on Friday at Betty Dillahunt Stadium.
- Wittenberg struck first when Bekah Giel (Amelia, OH/West Clermont) ripped an RBI single to right field in the top of the first to score Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH/Arcanum). The Big Red answered in the bottom half, as Carley Melton (Cypress, TX/Bridgeland) lined an RBI single to left-center to plate Indy Workman before Surbaugh reached on an error to allow Melton to come around for a 2-1 lead.
- Wittenberg pulled even in the second on Shyann Beddow's (Kearns, UT/Kearns) RBI single to the pitcher, scoring Rowan Goodpasture (Wabash, IN/Southwood). Denison answered right back in the bottom of the inning when Workman drove an RBI single to right-center to bring home Brianna Gonzalez (Bellmore, NY/Wellington C. Mepham) and make it 3-2.
- The score held there into the seventh. Emma Lohri (Heath, OH/Newark Catholic) singled to spark a Wittenberg rally and came around to score on Gada Bryant's (Westville, IL/Bismarck-Henning) RBI single to first base, tying the game at 3-3.
- In the bottom of the seventh, Workman led off with a single, advanced into scoring position, and came around to score on Surbaugh's walk-off single to right-center, sending the Big Red home with the win.
- Surbaugh picked up the win after entering in relief of Madilyn Moffitt (New Castle, IN/New Castle), who turned in a strong outing with 6.2 innings of three-run ball and three strikeouts on 108 pitches. Lilly James (Troy, OH/Troy) took the loss for Wittenberg after three innings of relief, while starter Lilly Shaw (Washington Courthouse, OH/Washington) went 3.2 frames and allowed two earned runs.
- Workman led the Big Red with a 3-for-4 day, scoring twice and driving in a run. Surbaugh added two hits including the game-winner. McCans paced Wittenberg with two hits and a stolen base, while Beddow reached three times with a hit, two walks and an RBI.
2026 All-Tournament Team
Brooke Surbaugh, Denison (MVP)
Madilyn Moffitt, Denison
Riley Smith, Denison
Carley Melton, Denison
Indy Workman, Denison
Lilly James, Wittenberg
Julie Hall, Wittenberg
Kirsten Wright, Wittenberg
Meghan McCans, Wittenberg
Alex Romero-Salas, DePauw
Libby Minobe, DePauw
Maeve McLaughlin, Kenyon
Game 5 - No. 4 Wittenberg 3, No. 2 DePauw 2
- Julie Hall (Powell, OH/Bishop Watterson) worked six strong innings and Lilly James (Troy, OH/Troy) slammed the door in the seventh to earn her 11th save as Wittenberg edged DePauw 3-2 on Friday at Betty Dillahunt Stadium.
- Wittenberg jumped on top in the first. Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH/Arcanum) drew a walk and stole second before scoring on Ava Cyphers' (Dayton, OH/Vandalia Butler) RBI groundout to second base. Gada Bryant (Westville, IL/Bismarck-Henning) came around to score later in the inning on Kirsten Wright's (Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge) RBI groundout, making it 2-0.
- DePauw answered with a two-out rally in the second. Hanna Coffel (Indianapolis, IN/Bishop Chatard) and Ella Ohrvall (Carmel, IN/Carmel) reached to start things off, and after Kendall Hynes (Melrose Park, IL/Trinity) and Avery Welsh (Bolingbrook, IL/Plainfield East) worked walks to load the bases, Libby Minobe (Fort Wayne, IN/Homestead) lined a two-RBI single to left-center to score Ohrvall and Coffel and tie the game at 2-2.
- Wittenberg regained the lead in the bottom half when Bailey Nichols (Tucson, AZ/Sabino), who reached on a walk, came around to score on an unearned play that started with Shyann Beddow (Kearns, UT/Kearns) reaching on an error.
- Hall settled in from there, scattering four hits and two runs over six innings with two strikeouts and four walks. James entered in the seventh and struck out one in a 1-2-3 frame to close it out.
- Izzy Deveau (Ypsilanti, MI/Saline) was sharp in the loss for DePauw, allowing three runs (one earned) on just three hits over six innings on 86 pitches.
- Minobe led DePauw at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Coffel, Ohrvall and Welsh each added one hit. Wright paced Wittenberg with a double and an RBI, while Bryant and Nichols added the team's other base hits.