The Kenyon softball team began its season on Saturday in Danville, Kentucky, where the Owls faced the Centre College Colonels (Ky.) in a Saturday doubleheader. Although the Owls were able to get their bats going, they were unable to take either matchup. The first narrowly went the way of the hosts, 12-11, while the second was a more convincing 12-3 loss for Kenyon.
The first game got off to a fantastic start for the Owls. In what turned out to be a back-and-forth affair, Kenyon’s offense came alive from the very first pitch. After Centre walked two Owls, the first hit of the season proved to be a scoring one, as Brooke Avila ’27 connected on a ball that brought home Leah Schlissberg ’29. The very next batter, Leah Kuban ’28, also singled, scoring Avila and Lily Colvin ’28. Behind timely hitting and strong pitching from Izzy Akin ’28, who struck out two in the inning, the Owls closed the frame with all the momentum and a 3-0 lead. Kenyon added to its advantage in the second inning, pushing the lead to 4-0 before breaking things open in the third. Schlissberg singled through the left side to bring home another run, and later in the frame, Emily Cashell ’28 swiped second while Maeve McLaughlin ’26 stole home to make it 5-0. Kuban delivered again with an RBI single to right field, marking her third RBI of the game and of the season in just three innings. Finally, a bases-loaded walk drawn by Colvin capped the surge and gave Kenyon full control, going up 7-0.
However, Kenyon’s lead quickly evaporated, as Centre scored six runs over the next three innings, cutting the advantage to just one. What had started as a dominant outing for the Owls suddenly became a tight one-run game.
In the top of the sixth inning, Kenyon stretched its lead back to five runs. McLaughlin opened the frame with a single that scored Colvin, and Madison Buckwalter ’26 followed with a booming double, driving in Kuban, Cashell and Green for three more RBIs and what looked to be a convincing advantage. From that point on, though, it was all Centre. The hosts scored six unanswered runs over the final innings to take the comeback victory, handing Kenyon a narrow 12-11 loss.
With the Owls demoralized, the Colonels continued their momentum from the first contest in the second game of the doubleheader and quickly took control. Kenyon evened the score early in the second inning when Kuban grounded out to drive in Avila, tying the game at 1-1. The Owls then added two more runs in the fifth inning on an RBI fielder’s choice by Schlissberg and a single from McLaughlin that scored Colvin. Kylie Hamm ’27 made her first start of the season for Kenyon, pitching three innings with four strikeouts and allowing eight runs as Centre pulled away to win 12-3. Across the weekend, Kuban finished with four RBIs, while Buckwalter added three.
Kenyon was originally scheduled to play Berea College (Ky.) the next day, but that contest, along with a previously scheduled game against Centre, was canceled due to cold weather. With those games off the schedule, Kenyon will turn its attention to two doubleheaders this weekend as the team travels to North Carolina to face Salem College (N.C.) and Guilford College (N.C.). Then the Owls will fly to Hawaii for a slew of spring break matchups.