Denison Undefeated in NCAC Softball Tourney, Awaits DePauw/Wittenberg Winner

SPRINGFIELD, OH -- After four complete games of the 2026 NCAC Softball Tournament, third-seeded Denison has earned the right to play in the title game on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Top-seeded Wittenberg and second-seeded DePauw will meet up in the elimination game at 11:00 a.m. Friday morning for the opportunity to play the Big Red in the 2026 NCAC title game. The NCAC tournament champion will earn an automatic berth into the upcoming 2026 NCAA Division III Softball Championship.
 
Denison captured a 10-1 five-inning victory over DePauw in Game 1, while Wittenberg defeated Kenyon, 9-4, in Game 2. The Big Red then claimed a 6-3 win over the Ohio Tigers in Game 3 and DePauw earned a 7-5 win over fourth-seeded Kenyon in the final game of the day to eliminate the Owls from the tournament.
 
Game 1 - No. 3 Denison 10, No. 2 DePauw 1 (5 innings)
  • Denison delivered an offensive showcase to defeat DePauw 10-1 in a five-inning run-rule victory on Thursday morning at Betty Doughman Field in Springfield, Ohio.
  • Denison’s Brooke Surbaugh (San Bruno, CA/St. Ignatius) set the tone in the first inning, launching a one-out grand slam to give the Big Red a 4-0 lead. The blast came after Carley Melton (Cypress, TX/Bridgeland) drew a walk, Emerson Seevers (San Carlos, CA/Sequoia) singled to left field, and Madilyn Moffitt (New Castle, IN/New Castle) was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
  • The Big Red added a run in the second inning after Brianna Gonzalez (Bellmore, NY/Wellington C. Mepham) worked a walk and Alex Longstreth (Carmel, IN/Carmel) reached on an error before Indy Workman (Greene County, IN/Eastern Greene) brought Gonzalez home with a groundout to shortstop, extending the lead to 5-0.
  • DePauw answered in the bottom of the second. Alex Romero-Salas (Paranaque City, National Capital Region (NCR)/Calvert Academy) and Paige Brady (Tucson, AZ/Tanque Verde) opened the inning with back-to-back singles to left field. After Hanna Coffel (Indianapolis, IN/Bishop Chatard) reached on a fielder's choice and Ella Ohrvall (Carmel, IN/Carmel) worked a bases-loaded walk, Emily DuMais (Mokena, IL/Mother McAuley) drove home Brady on a fielder's choice to cut the deficit to 5-1.
  • Denison broke the game open with a five-run third inning. Moffitt reached on an error to start the rally, and Surbaugh followed with a single to left to put runners on the corners. Leilah Ferrari (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota West) and Riley Smith (Portland, OR/Jesuit) reached on fielder's choices, with Moffitt scoring on a throwing error to make it 6-1. Gonzalez followed with an RBI single, and Workman delivered a two-run single to push the lead to 9-1. Melton capped the rally with an RBI single to bring the score to 10-1.
  • DePauw turned to Avery Welsh (Bolingbrook, IL/Plainfield East) in relief, and Welsh delivered an outstanding effort to keep the Tigers within striking distance. She worked 2.1 scoreless innings without allowing a hit, including a fifth-inning escape when DePauw turned a triple play behind her on a fly ball off the bat of Workman to end a bases-loaded threat.
  • The Big Red collected six hits and drew four walks. Surbaugh led the way at 2-for-3 with four RBI and a home run, while Workman finished with three RBI. Gonzalez and Melton each contributed an RBI hit, while Moffitt earned the win in the circle, going the full five innings and allowing one earned run on five hits with one walk and one strikeout.
  • DePauw was paced offensively by hits from Romero-Salas, Brady, Eliza Rammel (Indianapolis, IN/North Central), Kelsey Schneider (Brownstown, IN/Brownstown Central), and Libby Minobe (Fort Wayne, IN/Homestead). DuMais drove in the team's lone run, and Brady scored.
 
Game 2 - No. 1 Wittenberg 9, No. 4 Kenyon 4
  • Wittenberg used early offense and aggressive baserunning to defeat Kenyon 9-4 on Thursday afternoon at Betty Doughman Field in Springfield, Ohio.
  • Kenyon struck first in the top of the first inning. Leah Schlissberg (Greenwood Village, CO/Arapahoe) reached on an error by the right fielder and advanced to third before Maeve McLaughlin (Lebanon, NJ/North Hunterdon) drove her home with a single to center field for an early 1-0 Owls lead.
  • Wittenberg answered with a four-run rally in the bottom of the first. Meghan McCans (Arcanum, OH/Arcanum) opened the inning with a single and stole second. Gada Bryant (Westville, IL/Bismarck-Henning) followed with an RBI bunt single to tie the game, then swiped second and third. Bekah Giel (Amelia, OH/West Clermont) was hit by a pitch and stole second before advancing to third on a wild pitch that scored Bryant to put the Tigers ahead 2-1. Ava Cyphers (Dayton, OH/Vandalia Butler) reached on an error by the right fielder to bring home Giel for a 3-1 lead, and Kirsten Wright (           Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge) singled to center field to drive in another run, capping the inning at 4-1.
  • The Tigers added two more runs in the second. Shyann Beddow (Kearns, UT/Kearns) worked a walk and stole second, and Bryant reached on a hit by pitch and stole second as Beddow advanced to third. Giel singled to first base for an RBI to push the lead to 5-1. Following a pitching change, Cyphers grounded out to shortstop for an RBI to make it 6-1.
  • Kenyon answered in the top of the third. Lily Colvin (Phoenixville, PA/The Shipley School) singled to left center, and Keala Montgomery (Lana‘i City, HI/Lana‘i) reached on an error by the shortstop. Leah Schlissberg (Greenwood Village, CO/Arapahoe) followed with a single, though Colvin was thrown out trying to score on the play. Montgomery scored on a passed ball to cut the deficit to 6-2, and McLaughlin's second RBI single of the game brought the Owls within four at 6-3.
  • The Owls drew within two in the top of the fourth. Peyton Green (Tucson, AZ/Salpointe Catholic) opened the frame with a double to left field. After a pitching change brought Phoebe Underwood (Seymour, IN/Seymour) into the circle, Kinsey White (Cedar Park, TX/Hill Country Christian) grounded out to advance Green to third, and Jillian Messinger (Bell Canyon, CA/Calabasas) drove her in with an RBI single up the middle to make it 6-4.
  • Wittenberg responded with a three-run fourth inning to put the game out of reach. McCans singled and stole second. Bryant reached on a throwing error to put runners on the corners, and Giel drew a walk to load the bases. Cyphers lifted an RBI fly ball to right field to score McCans, and Wright followed with a two-run single to give the Tigers a 9-4 lead.
  • Kenyon's bullpen settled in from there. Izzy Akin (Seven Hills, OH/Normandy) entered in the fourth inning and turned in a strong 2.2-inning hitless outing, striking out one. Wittenberg's pitching staff matched her, with Underwood working 2.1 scoreless innings and Lilly James (Troy, OH/Troy) closing the door over 1.2 hitless frames.
  • McLaughlin paced the Owls offense with two hits and two RBI. Colvin and Messinger each finished with two hits, and Messinger added an RBI. Green doubled and scored a run, while Schlissberg scored twice.
  • Wright led the Tigers with two hits and three RBI, and Cyphers contributed three RBI of her own. Bryant scored three runs and stole three bases, and McCans added two hits, two runs, and two stolen bases. Giel reached base three times via a single, walk, and hit by pitch, scoring twice. Lilly Shaw (Washington Courthouse, OH/Washington) earned the win in the circle, working three innings to improve to 4-1 on the season.
  • The Tigers stole six bases as a team and capitalized on two Owls errors. The win improves Wittenberg to 26-15 on the season, while Kenyon fell to 19-22.
 
Game 3 - No. 3 Denison 6, No. 1 Wittenberg 3
  • Denison broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run fifth inning and added late insurance to defeat Wittenberg 6-3 on Thursday afternoon at Betty Dillahunt Stadium in Springfield, Ohio.
  • The teams played to a scoreless deadlock through three innings before Denison broke through in the top of the fourth. Brianna Gonzalez singled up the middle to drive in Ferrari for a 1-0 Big Red lead.
  • Wittenberg responded immediately in the bottom half. Cyphers tripled to start the rally, and Wright lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Cyphers and tie the game at 1-1.
  • Denison took the lead back for good in the top of the fifth. Ferrari doubled to left field to drive in Moffitt for a 2-1 lead, and Smith followed with a two-run single to right field to score Ferrari and Rosie Witt (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township), pushing the margin to 4-1.
  • Wittenberg cut the deficit in the bottom of the sixth. After Giel and Bryant reached base, Kennedy Reed (Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy Orange) reached on an error that allowed both runners to score, bringing the Tigers within one at 4-3.
  • Denison added insurance in the top of the seventh. Gonzalez delivered her second RBI single of the game to score Andrea Care, and Indy Workman reached on an error to bring home Smith for a 6-3 lead.
  • Brooke Surbaugh earned the win in the circle for Denison, working six innings and allowing one earned run on six hits with two strikeouts to improve to 8-10. Andrea Care (Morrisville, NC/Panther Creek) worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning to record her second save of the season.
  • Smith led the Big Red offense at 3-for-4 with two RBI, and Melton also collected three hits in five at-bats. Ferrari finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a double, while Gonzalez added two hits and two RBI. Moffitt also recorded two hits, and Surbaugh contributed a hit at the plate to go with her win in the circle. Denison's defense turned a double play to help keep things tight in the early innings.
  • Wittenberg's Bailey Nichols (Tucson, AZ/Sabino) paced the Tigers with two hits, and Cyphers, Giel, McCans, and Bryant each added a hit. Cyphers contributed a triple, and Wright recorded an RBI on her fourth-inning sacrifice fly. Julie Hall (Powell, OH/Bishop Watterson) opened on the rubber and worked three innings, allowing one earned run.
 
Game 4 - No. 2 DePauw 7, No. 4 Kenyon 5
  • DePauw used a fast start and a key two-run pinch hit in the sixth inning to defeat Kenyon 7-5 on Thursday evening at Betty Dillahunt Stadium in Springfield, Ohio.
  • The Tigers set the tone in the top of the first with three runs on five hits. Minobe and Schneider opened the inning with singles, and Rammel followed with a two-run single to left center to make it 2-0. Romero-Salas added another base hit, and after a Brady sacrifice bunt, Ella Kuenster (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park and River Forest High School) grounded out for an RBI to push the lead to 3-0.
  • Kenyon answered in the bottom half. Schlissberg tripled to right field with one out, and McLaughlin drove her in with an RBI groundout to cut the deficit to 3-1.
  • DePauw extended the lead in the second. Welsh and Minobe singled to put runners on, and after a fielder's choice, Romero-Salas singled up the middle for two RBI, scoring Welsh and Rammel for a 5-1 advantage.
  • Kenyon answered in the bottom half. White doubled to center field and scored on Emma Cashell's (Hamilton, MT/Corvallis) RBI single to right field, trimming the deficit to 5-2.
  • After three scoreless innings, Kenyon mounted a comeback in the bottom of the fifth. Colvin singled to right field to start the rally, and Schlissberg followed with a double to put runners at the corners. McLaughlin reached on a fielder's choice for an RBI to score Colvin, and Leah Kuban (Pittsburgh, PA/Avonworth) added a sacrifice fly to score Schlissberg, bringing the Owls within one at 5-4.
  • DePauw answered with two insurance runs in the top of the sixth. Coffel singled to right center and stole second to start the inning, and Welsh followed with a single to advance Coffel to third. After a pitching change brought in Akin and a runner was caught stealing, Minobe reached on catcher's interference. Pinch hitter Kendall Hynes (Melrose Park, IL/Trinity) then delivered a two-run single to score Coffel and Minobe, pushing the lead to 7-4.
  • Kenyon got a run back in the bottom of the seventh. Montgomery singled through the left side and advanced to third on a wild pitch and a groundout. McLaughlin then drove her in with an RBI single to third base for her third RBI of the game, bringing the Owls within two at 7-5.
  • Izzy Deveau (Ypsilanti, MI/Saline) earned the win in the circle for DePauw, working five innings and allowing four earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Romero-Salas closed with two innings of relief, allowing one run on two hits while striking out three.
  • DePauw's offense produced 14 hits in the win. Romero-Salas led the way with two hits and two RBI, and Rammel added two RBI of her own. Welsh, Minobe, Schneider, and Ohrvall each contributed two hits, and Hynes delivered the decisive pinch-hit two-run single in the sixth. The Tigers also stole six bases as a team.
  • Kenyon's McLaughlin paced the Owls with three RBI, and Schlissberg reached base three times with a triple, a double, and two runs scored. White doubled and scored, and Cashell, Colvin, Brooke Avila (Upland, CA/Upland), and Montgomery each contributed a hit. Kylie Hamm (Greenville, OH/Greenville) worked five innings on the rubber, and Akin followed with two innings of relief, allowing one earned run.

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