Hawks softball secure their spot in the next round of playoffs in second game against Fresno City
The Hawks softball team talking with head coach Kristy Schroeder after their 6-1 win against Fresno City.
The Cosumnes River College softball team is officially moving on to the next round of playoffs after defeating the Fresno City Rams on May 2 and 3.
During their May 2 game, the team left the field victorious with a 5-2 win and spectators were left wondering if the women could keep their mojo overnight and win their rematch the next day.
In the first inning of game two, the Hawks experienced a rocky start, striking out almost immediately while Rams freshman pitcher Sarah Santana hit a homerun and brought her team to an early 1-0 lead.
At the top of the second inning, Hawks freshman shortstop Brenda Velasquez and freshman pitcher Christy Satterlee both got walks and Velasquez was able to score a run after a hit from freshman catcher Raechel Hooper.
With the score tied 1-1, the women quickly struck out the Rams, ending the second inning.
“One thing I like about this team is that we were down early and we don’t let it phase us,” said Hawks head coach Kristy Schroeder.
With the bases loaded in the top of the third, sophomore third baseman Hanna Miller’s hit to center field earned her a 3 RBI double that brought home sophomore outfielder Christin Stein, sophomore pitcher Amanda Horbasch and freshman second baseman Kaitlin Pires, giving them a 4-1 lead.
The third and fourth innings proved to be difficult for the Rams as the Hawks scored yet another run in the fourth when sophomore first baseman Briana Cherry’s sacrifice bunt brought Velasquez home.
The Hawks kept their 5-1 lead into the sixth inning which they started with a bang, as Hooper hit a home run increasing their lead 6-1.
Although they tried, the Rams once again could not respond with any runs in the sixth. However, the Hawks were struck out quickly in the seventh inning, leaving the Rams one last shot at redemption.
With Rams sophomore pitcher Selena Ruiz on second and freshman pitcher Carissa McMillion on first, freshman pitcher Aubrey Blankenburg got a walk, loading the bases.
With two outs, Santana was up to bat at the make or break moment that could have increased the Rams score and potentially lead to winning the game or going into extra innings.
Even though Santana hit a home run earlier and had two runners on base, Horbasch, was not intimidated and was able to strike Santana out as well, leaving the final score at 6-1.
Schroeder said she was happy about the game’s outcome and some of its big plays.
“Hanna Miller came up big with the nice hit there,” Schroeder said. “And it was great that Raechel Hooper ended it with a home run there because one run makes a big difference.”
Freshman pitcher Olivia Dibble said that the team played well throughout the entire game.
“We were consistent all the way through the game and didn’t really have a bad inning,” Dibble said.
The Hawks will next play Cabrillo College in game two of the Super Regionals being held at Sierra College on May 8-10. Potentially, depending upon the outcome of their match with Cabrillo, the Hawks could face Sierra or Shasta colleges on May 9 and May 10 on their path to the State Finals.
Horbasch said she is confident and excited to be moving onto the next round of playoffs.
“I’m excited for it, we’ve taken Sierra before,” Horbasch said.
Schroeder said that she hopes to keep the team’s momentum going.
“I feel pretty good going into that and we’ll just keep doing all of the things that we’ve been doing and hopefully having a good showing off of it,” Schroeder said.
