GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College baseball team braved some bad weather, but not even a cold, wet day could rain on the Owls parade as they took two in a twin bill against the Hiram College Terriers. It was Kenyon's final home outing this season, and the Owls remain firmly in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) postseason hunt with a pair of important victories.

Kenyon improved to 21-12 overall and 8-6 in NCAC contests, giving the Owls sole possession of fourth in the conference standings. If Kenyon can maintain their position, the Owls will appear in the four-team NCAC Tournament. On the other side, Hiram fell to 13-24 (1-13 NCAC).

The Owls' starting pitchers shined in both ends of the doubleheader, striking out a combined 25 batters over 11.2 innings of work while walking just two. Frank Lynch set the tone in game one, striking out 13 batters over the first 15 outs and not issuing a walk. The baker's dozen shattered his career high of seven strikeouts, which he has tallied twice this year. The left-handed sophomore also picked up his team-leading fifth win of the season, improving to 5-1 after allowing just one run on six hits in 5.1 innings. In game two, Dalton Hastings dished out a dozen strikeouts in his first start of the season. The first-year picked up the win after tossing 118 pitches, allowing six hits, walking two batters, and conceding one run.

Offensively, Kenyon racked up 26 hits across the doubleheader. However, Hiram managed to hang around despite the Owls taking early leads in each game and a general feeling of Kenyon being in control. Despite missing more times than not when they swung the bat, the Terriers totaled 24 hits over the twin bill. The visitors also scored timely runs, but the Owls held Hiram at bay.

In game one, Kenyon took a quick 2-0 lead after three straight two-out hits. In the second inning, three more RBI at-bats from Nate Rosen, Edwin Groff, and Tripper Capps pushed the lead to five through two frames. 

Hiram added a run in the top of the sixth, but the Owls bounced back in the bottom of the inning. Groff notched another RBI single before Capps crushed a three-run homer, his first this season, that put Kenyon ahead 9-1.

However, the Terriers did not go down without a fight. Hiram hit back, notching six runs on six hits in the top of the seventh. The Terriers stranded three Owls on base in the eighth, starting the ninth inning with the tying run on deck. A walk and a double had the tying runs in scoring position with one out, but Andrew Catron induced a sacrifice fly for out number two. The first-year earned his first save with a groundout that clinched a 9-8 Owls victory.

The first five batters in the Kenyon lineup notched multiple hits in game one, while Groff, Capps, and Kyle Dwyer all had three knocks. Carr led the way with four RBIs and a pair of runs. 

The hits kept coming in game two, but there was not a lot of action on the scoreboard. All four of Kenyon's game-two runs came on two swings. Groff hit his fourth homer of the season in the third, a three-run blast. Kenyon went up 4-0 in the next frame after Malcolm Gaynor's sixth round-tripper.

Hiram chipped away from there with a run in the fifth, but Kenyon maintained a 4-1 edge headed into the ninth inning. Catron came in to relieve Theo Canning and struck out the first batter. A walk and two singles later, Hiram had cut the lead to 4-2. Sam Richards entered with the go-ahead run at the plate and promptly traded a run for an out with a fielder's choice. Another ground ball was just what the doctor ordered, and the Owls clinched the 4-3 win on another fielder's choice as Richards earned his second save.

Capps collected a game-high three hits in game two, going 3-4 at each end of the doubleheader to boost his batting average to .417.

Up next, the Owls end their regular season in Springfield, Ohio, when they match up with Wittenberg University (28-8, 12-2 NCAC) on Saturday, May 6. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for noon.