KATIE KERRIGAN — Denison women’s softball has been dominating this season with a record of 20-12 overall and 11-5 in the conference.
They have been winning games and players have been racking up the stats. They will need to continue their hard work as they enter the conference tournament this upcoming weekend, May 3 and 4.
This past weekend, the Big Red played four games. Denison took three wins out of the two sets of doubleheaders. On Saturday, April 27, they played Wittenberg in a tight matchup. Losing the first game by only 1 run, the Big Red fired up and topped the Wittenberg Tigers 3-0 in the second game.
With this momentum under their belt, the Big Red was victorious in their regular-season finale doubleheader against the Allegheny Gators. Denison dominated the Gators 16-1 in the first game on April 28. Game two of the day was closer, with a score of 5-0, but the Big Red were able to sweep the Gators.
The Big Red had many players that led them to their victories. Starting pitcher, Colleen Hoffman ‘19, kept Allegheny hitless for the first two innings. She earned her tenth win of the season after holding the Gators to just four hits with four strikeouts over six innings pitched. Claire Powell, Emilie Fisher, and Ricki Asher each scored two runs for the Big Red in the second game versus the Gators. Marrae Saucedo raked in two RBIs for the team, leading the team for that game.
In their second game against Wittenberg, Denison dominated the game with another stellar pitching performance by Hoffman. She posted four strikeouts on the day and only allowed for one walk. Senior Laura Bagan hit a two-run double during the third inning of the second game. This hit, accompanied by Lindsey Clemson’s triple that brought Powell home, led to the Denison victory.
On April 25 Colleen Hoffman was one of two Denisonian women’s athletes to be named to the National Strength and Conditioning Association All-American team. The other athlete was senior basketball super-star, Valesha Province. The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a nonprofit organization whose focus is advancing the strength and conditioning profession around the world. The NSCA advances the profession by supporting strength and conditioning professionals devoted to helping others discover and maximize their strengths. For this senior pair, being named to the NSCA All-American team means that they were nominated by Denison Director of Sports Performance, Beau Scott, for their outstanding athletic performance, their commitment to improvement, all while maintaining academic prominence.
This week, Denison is preparing for their conference tournament matchup against Wooster on Friday, May 3 at Depauw University. The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) tournament is a double-elimination tournament.