The 16th-ranked Case Western Reserve University softball team swept Hiram College in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at Mather Park in Cleveland, winning the first contest 1-0 on a walk off, and besting the Terriers 9-1 in six innings in the second game.
The Spartans improved to 26-9 overall with the two wins, while the Terriers fell to 20-14 in 2025. Case Western Reserve has won five games in a row for the second time during the campaign.
Game 1: #16 CWRU 1, Hiram 0
The first game was a classic pitchers' duel between Spartan senior hurler Lexi Miskey and Hiram pitcher Darian Kanno. Both starters went the distance in the game and allowed just five total hits while walking only one. Miskey (16-3) tossed her first shutout of the season, striking out 10 batters and allowing just four hits in seven innings. She did not walk a batter and threw 116 pitches, 74 for strikes.
After walking the leadoff batter in the first inning, Kanno (13-3) retired the next 17 hitters she faced, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning. However, she suffered the tough loss, allowing just one run on a hit and a walk with five strikeouts.
The first Spartan hit of the game came on a double by sophomore infielder Karen Potts to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. She advanced to third on a fly out and scored on an infield grounder off the bat of senior infielder Isabella Russo to walk off the Terriers.
Earlier in the inning, Hiram earned a one-out baserunner with a hit by pitch. The CWRU defense spoiled a sacrifice bunt attempt for the second out, and Miskey recorded a strikeout, but the inning continued on a wild pitch. Miskey responded with another strikeout, her 10th of the game, to keep the game scoreless heading into the bottom of the seventh, setting up the walk-off victory.
After allowing a leadoff single to start the game, Miskey struck out the side to strand a runner at first base. Senior catcher Katelyn Lamm threw out a baserunner attempting to steal second base in the top of the third inning, her 12th caught stealing of the season, tied for the third-most by a catcher in a single season in program history. The out proved costly for the Terriers as the next batter laced a double that would have likely broken the scoreless tie. Miskey induced a harmless popout to escape the inning.
Hiram again threatened to score in the sixth inning, getting a runner on second base with no outs following an infield single and a passed ball. Russo made a diving catch on a bunt for the first out.
Miskey recorded a strikeout for the second out before facing Kanno, the best hitter in the Terrier lineup. The Spartan pitcher froze the opposing hurler with an off-speed offering to keep the game scoreless.
Game 2: #16 CWRU 9, Hiram 1 (6 inn.)
CWRU won the second contest in less dramatic fashion, ending the game early with an eight-run win. Potts slugged a pair of home runs in the game, her first two of the season, and Russo had three extra-base hits, including a home run of her own.
Potts led off the bottom of the first with a towering home run to right field to give CWRU a 1-0 lead.
Two batters later, Russo doubled the advantage with a solo homer of her own, the fifth for the senior in 2025.
The following inning, Hiram's Megan Moser pulled a line drive down the left field line that escaped the ballpark, making the score 2-1.
However, that would be the only run the Terriers would score against senior pitcher Kylie Hosey. The Spartan hurler scattered six hits in a complete game effort, striking out a season-high eight batters while not conceding a walk. She earned the win to improve to 9-6 in 2025.
CWRU added a run on an error, and graduate student infielder KaiLi Gross drove in the fourth run for the Spartans with a two-out single. Russo led off the third inning with a double and scored on a single by junior infielder Elizabeth Berry.
In the fourth inning, Potts hit her second homer of the game to increase the lead to five. It was the second time in her career that she went deep twice in a game and the first time she achieved the feat in a regular season game.
Russo doubled home a run in the sixth inning, and Lamm, the next batter, ended the contest with a single that brought in a pair of runs.
Potts, Gross, Berry, and first-year outfielder Ashley Miller each had two hits in the game, while Russo collected a trio of base knocks.
The Spartans will play their final non-conference doubleheader of the regular season on Sunday, May 4, traveling to Alliance, Ohio, to face the University of Mount Union starting at 1 p.m.
Spartan Notes
- The matchups on Tuesday were the first between the schools since Hiram eliminated CWRU from the 2023 NCAA Tournament in the Regional Round at Mather Park. The Spartans improved to 18-2 in the all-time series
- The Spartans entered Tuesday ranked 18th, and fourth among teams not leading their conferences, in the latest NCAA Power Index (NPI), which is used to determine at-large selections and seeding for the NCAA Championship. Hiram ranked 86th. NPI is now updated daily at stats.ncaa.org
- CWRU improved to 6-5 in one-run games and 2-1 in 1-0 games with the victory in the first contest, including wins in their last four such games
- The shutout was the sixth of the season for CWRU, with all six coming at Mather Park
- Miskey struck out at least 10 batters for the third time this season and the 23rd time in her four-year career
- Russo slugged the 14th homer of her career, tied for the ninth-most in program history. The round-trippers were the ninth and 10th of Potts's career
- Miller recorded two hits in a game for the third time this season, Berry achieved the feat for the ninth time, Potts had her 10th multi-hit game of the season, and Gross recorded her team-leading 19th game with at least two hits
