GAMBIER, Ohio  – Seven different players were honored as a part of Senior Day that kicked off an afternoon of celebration at McCloskey Field. The 2013 senior class had a large part in Saturday's sweep over Hiram College where offense shined in the Lords' 7-5 and 12-7 wins over the Terriers. Zack Karson went a combined 5-for-6 to lead Kenyon offensively while Tyler Dierke became the program's all-time wins leader with his fifth win of the season.

In game one, Kenyon rose up from an early 2-1 deficit with a five-run inning in the bottom of the second led by Kyle Hardacker's leadoff double. The sophomore came around to score after swiping third on a steal and completed his trip around the bases when Hiram catcher Tim Calhoun's throw went errant up the left field line. The rest of the rally was conducted with two outs when Karson recorded his first of five hits on the day. His run-scoring single plated Andrew Dunn to take a 3-2 lead. Jake Dunn followed with a double and John Nahra sent a shot through the right side, each hit scoring one run. Nahra came around to score as a result of a fielding error, one of seven total on the day by the Terriers, increasing the Lords' lead to four runs by inning's end.

The Terriers sprinkled 14 hits against the Kenyon starter, Dierke (5-3), but the senior fought his way through 6.1 innings of work. With help from his eight strikeouts, Dierke allowed five runs in what may have been his final start on his home field. Three of those strikeouts came in the fifth inning that was helping him escape an inning extended by a misjudged fly ball in right, leading to a two-run triple. He had at least one strikeout in each of his six full innings of work.

Heading into the seventh and final inning, a perfectly executed relay from left field helped cut down a run at the plate and keep the Kenyon lead at 7-5. Senior Alex Kendall came out of the bullpen and retired the final two batters in order to claim the victory and his fourth save of the season.

After Kendall closed the door on the Terriers, Dierke claimed his fifth win of the season but more impressive was that the victory was his 22nd of his career, setting a new College record. The mark was previously held by Mitch Swaggert who tossed for the Lords from 1997-2000.

Hiram once again took an early advantage in game two of the doubleheader, taking a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning. The Lords were quick to respond with the first of two four-run innings over the middle frames. Matt Wagnitz's single down the right field line loaded the bases for nine-hitter Karson who followed by roping a RBI single to left field. Jake Dunn's groundout to short helped plate a second run, but Terrier second baseman Shane Haidet's throw went off the mark and instead of an inning-ending double play, resulted in another run scored and Nahra's RBI double to deep center later in the inning.

The Terriers tied the game at six after scoring twice in the top of the sixth, prompting the hit parade to return in the bottom half of the inning for the Lords. After the Lords led off with back-to-back hits, Hiram reliever Pat Rhodes allowed a one-out walk to load the bases. Nate Lotze lined a single into left, scoring one and breaking the tie. That prompted a two-run single by Andrew Dunn before Kenyon closed out the inning with another run from solid base running. With runners on the corners, Lotze took off for home on a throw that failed in pegging Andrew Dunn stealing second. The Lords added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 12-7 lead before handing the ball back to Kendall for the final three outs.

Karson completed the doubleheader with a 5-for-6 day at the plate and three stolen bases. Jake Dunn totaled and team-best six hits in nine trips to the plate and joined Nahra with three RBIs, each.

Prior to the start of Saturday's action, the Lords celebrated the careers of seven seniors playing in their final home series of their careers. Andrew Dunn, Jesse Weiss, Mike Danziger, Karson, Dierke, Kendall, and Will Clements were all honored prior to the start of game one.

The Lords and Terriers will conclude their series on Sunday, April 28 with a scheduled first pitch of 12 p.m. Weather forecasts may alter the remaining schedule. Any changes will be reported as quickly as possible.