SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- The Kenyon College softball team entered enemy territory to take on the Wittenberg University Tigers, but the home team prevailed over the Owls in the twin bill. Wittenberg won the first game 9-1 in five innings before securing the sweep with a 5-0 shutout in game two.

Kenyon fell to 1-25 overall and 0-8 in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) matchups with the loss. Meanwhile, Wittenberg improved to 10-21 overall and 7-3 in the NCAC.

The Owls notched seven hits in each game compared to the Tigers' 18, but Kenyon could not convert their baserunners into runs. Conversely, Wittenberg scored 14 runs on their 18 hits. Across the doubleheader, Kenyon stranded 14 runners compared to Wittenberg's 11.

The home team tagged Allison McCutchen for two unearned runs in the first inning of game one, but the Owls battled back to get a run back in the ensuing half-inning. McCutchen got the rally going with a leadoff single before advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt and a single. With one out and runners on the corners, Jesse Leener took off to steal second. The ball beat Leener to the bag, but it bounced out of the shortstop's glove when she went to apply the tag. With the ball rolling loose in the infield, McCutchen took off down the third-base line, beating the throw for a steal of home to cut Kenyon's deficit to one.

The unconventional way of scoring wound up as Kenyon's only run of the day. Wittenberg knocked McCutchen out of the first game with four runs in the third frame, and three more against Amanda Harris in the fourth inning helped the Tigers end the game early due to run rule.

Harris, who finished with five strikeouts across 7.2 innings pitched, gave up just three earned runs over six game-two innings, but the home team handed Kenyon a 5-0 shutout. The Tigers scored twice in the second, once in the fourth, and twice more in the fifth. 

Kenyon's 3, 4, and 5 hitters finished with two hits apiece in game one. Maeve McLaughlin and Arianna Jalomo went 2-3, while McCutchen was 2-2 at the plate. In game two, Nicole Archambeau and Persy Hort led the Owls with matching 2-3 performances. McLaughlin added a hit in the second game to keep a four-game hitting streak alive. Over the stretch, the first-year is 7-12 with three two-hit outings.

Up next, the Owls are set to host Denison University (13-11, 5-1 NCAC) on Sunday, April 23. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m.