Tigers close in on NCAC softball title; DePauw has 103 new members in honor society

First-inning two-run homers by Caleigh Cramer and Grace Smith were all second-ranked DePauw needed as pitcher Cami Henry blanked Hiram, 4-0, in the opening game of the best-of-three North Coast Athletic Conference Softball Championship series. The Tigers improved to 33-2 with their 17th straight win, while the Terriers dropped to 24-16. DePauw can take the NCAC title with a win in tomorrow's Noon contest, while Hiram hopes to force a third game with a win.

Skylar Barnett was hit by the game's first pitch before Cramer hammered a two-run shot to right center. Becca St. Germain then walked and Smith followed with a two-run blast to left center to make it 4-0.

Hiram's Kaitlyn Hager entered the circle in relief of starter Jeskari Rodriguez and shut out the Tigers over the final 6 2/3 innings, allowing just four hits and striking out four with just three DePauw players getting into scoring position.

The Terriers managed just one runner reaching second off of Henry and that came in the sixth,

Paige Price had two of DePauw's six hits, while four different Terriers had one hit each.

Henry improved to 18-0 and tied her own school record for a seven-inning game with 14 strikeouts while recording her fifth shutout. Rodriguez dropped to 10-3.

Meanwhile, a DePauw-record 103 student-athletes have earned induction into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society this year and they are among the over 700 Tigers student-athletes to be recgonized since the organization was founded at DePauw in 1996.

Chi Alpha Sigma is a nonprofit organization established to recognize college student athletes who earn a varsity letter in at least one sport while maintaining a 3.4 or higher cumulative GPA throughout their junior and senior years. The governing board represents all levels of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Nick Mourouzis, long-time head football coach at DePauw, founded this organization in 1996 to encourage and reward high academic scholarship of college athletes at four-year accredited colleges and universities.