The Kenyon softball team continued conference play with doubleheaders over the weekend against Ohio Wesleyan University and The College of Wooster. After splitting the series with the Battling Bishops on the road and being swept by the Fighting Scots at home, the Owls’ record stands at 18-14 (3-9 NCAC).
On Saturday, Ohio Wesleyan struck first in game one. After Kenyon stranded a pair in the first inning, the Battling Bishops got to the Owls’ starter Kylie Hamm ’27 early, as an RBI single scored two runs. Ohio Wesleyan tacked on another run in both the third and fourth innings to take a 4-0 lead. Both teams’ offenses went quiet until the top of the sixth, when Kenyon took advantage of a pair of hit batters. Maeve McLaughlin ’26 then drove in Natalya Delsante ’25 with a double, and Emma Cashell ’28 scored from third on an error. A sacrifice fly from Leah Kuban ’28 brought home McLaughlin and cut the Owls’ deficit to just one run. Unfortunately, the home team poured on five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-5 win.
Kenyon bounced back in the second game, scoring five unanswered runs in the first inning. Though the Battling Bishops retired the first two Owls to come to the plate, Kenyon took advantage of strong situational hitting and poor Ohio Wesleyan defense. After an RBI single from Kinsey White ’28 made it a 3-0 ball game, Sophia Lynch ’25 hit a two-run RBI double down the right-field line to give the Owls a commanding lead. However, the Battling Bishops refused to bow out quietly, getting a run back in the first inning and another in the fourth. Ohio Wesleyan cut Kenyon’s lead to 5-3 in the sixth inning when the first four Battling Bishops reached base. Ohio Wesleyan got within one run after an RBI groundout, but, with two runners in scoring position, Jillian Messinger ’26 induced two important outs to end the inning. Kenyon added on three insurance runs in the top of the seventh, and, despite some traffic on the basepaths, Messinger closed out the 8-4 win thanks to a great play at home plate from White and Lynch.
White saw both growth from the Owls in the doubleheader and continued room for improvement. “What went well against Ohio Wesleyan was the energy going throughout the games, figuring out how to string together hits and keeping the momentum going,” she wrote in an email to the Collegian. “Just adjusting sooner from at-bat to at-bat and pitch to pitch is something we can learn from these games, and we did that really well in the second game.”
The Owls returned to Gambier on Sunday to take on the Fighting Scots. The first half of the doubleheader was a pitchers’ duel between Hamm and Wooster starter Jillian Meszaros. Though Meszaros was more efficient and had a no-hitter through 3.2 innings, Hamm was excellent as well, despite allowing eight hits. The Fighting Scots broke the ice in the third inning with an RBI double, then doubled their lead in the next inning. Unfortunately, the Owls could not solve Meszaros, who allowed just two hits and struck out seven, and Kenyon fell 2-0.
Game two was much more lopsided in favor of the visitors. Though Messinger kept Wooster from scoring in the first, the Fighting Scots batted around in the second inning, forcing Messinger out of the game. After Allison McCutchen ’26 recorded the final out of the inning, Wooster held a 6-0 lead. Kenyon’s lone bright spot offensively was White’s second-inning home run, the first round-tripper of her collegiate career. “It was a wonderful experience, and it means a lot to me that I can support my team offensively,” White said. “Over the past week, I’ve been working on a different approach at the plate, mainly with my mental game and trying not to put so much pressure on myself to do well.” Unfortunately, the Fighting Scots’ dominance continued, and they came away with a 15-1 run (mercy) rule win.
The Owls’ season will come to an end on Saturday, when Kenyon takes on Hiram College for Senior Day. White is excited for the chance to honor Delsante, Lynch and Amanda Harris ’25. “The seniors all have a special place in my heart and have been so welcoming, kind and supportive during my first year here at Kenyon,” she said. “Yes, [Senior Day] is kind of about saying goodbye, but I think we just want to celebrate them wholeheartedly and leave everything we have on that field to show them how much they mean to us.”