The Cosumnes River College softball team kicked off the 2012 season on Feb. 4 at home against the San Jose City College Jaguars in a doubleheader.

The day’s weather was in the low 60’s and about 70 people came out to see the first softball game of the season.

Hawks’ freshman shortstop Alissa Greenhaw was the lead-off batter and walked in the first inning. Second baseman freshman Jasmine Fama advanced Greenhaw to third on a bunt then third baseman freshman Melissa Mosqueda hit a sacrifice fly to the outfield and brought her home for the first score of the game.

Freshman Gabrielle Magana, pitched the first game of the day.

“Gabby improved as the game went along,” head coach Kristy Schroeder said about her pitching.
In the second inning she got to first on a fielder’s choice. Left fielder freshman Jannelle Moran-Rowen followed with a stand-up double to the fence in center field to bring Magana in for the second Hawks’ score of the day.

CRC’s line-up this season is comprised of all freshman players with the exception of sophomore first baseman Angelica Mendoza.

Mendoza batted in fifth position and had two at-bats. She went down swinging in the second and got walked in the fourth. She was left stranded while watching the next three batters pop out, strike out and fly out.

By the bottom of the second, the Jaguars had already scored seven runs to the Hawks’ two.

“They [San Jose] crushed the ball and didn’t hit it at anyone,” Schroeder said after the game. “They found the holes.”

San Jose hit doubles to the fence, singles up the center and line drives down the left field line. Hawks’ fielders were getting to the ball fast, though there were a couple bobbles of the ball slowing down the throw. More than once, the cutoff was bypassed and an attempted throw to home was late or over-thrown.

“Relays could have been better, though we had some good ones,” Schroeder said.

Hawks center fielder freshman Nikki Luiz walked in the bottom of the fifth and second baseman freshman Jasmine Fama brought her home on a single up the middle, but it was too little too late.

The final score after the fifth inning 10 run-rule went into effect was Hawks 3, Jaguars 14. The second game’s score was CRC 3, San Jose 11.

“We gotta put more balls in play,” Schroeder said.