The Hawks’ softball team won back to back games early against the Folsom Lake College Falcons at home on Friday by way of the mercy rule, winning 8-0 and 11-2.

Head Coach Kristy Schroeder said she was very proud of the game’s outcome. After their loss against Sacramento City College on March 5, she said they made adjustments to be more comfortable and focused.

“I think we were pressing too much against Sac City,” Schroeder said. “We didn’t really play our game and we were trying a little bit too hard. So today, I told the team ‘Hey we’re gonna play our game. Focus on hitting good pitches and hopefully everything works out for us’.”

If one team is up by eight or more runs after five or more equal innings, the plate umpire may declare the run-ahead rule, according to the NCAA website.

Freshman first baseman Abigail Woodfill said she felt the team’s performance did not reflect the struggles they had against Sacramento City.

“I was definitely trying to hit in the gaps. If I hit a defender and they make an error, we’re going to capitalize on it,” Woodfill said.

Woodfilll ended both games with four runs, five hits, and five runners batted in.

“I think we came back stronger in this game for sure. In the practice leading to this game, we had a talk about supporting each other and being loud in the dugout,” Woodfill said.

Woodfill said the coach made sure the key players on the team were well prepared for this match, and will be sure to keep up the same energy when they face Sac City again in April.

“I think that everyday is a new opportunity to improve, and today we came in strong and scored in the first innings of both games,” sophomore pitcher Anjalina Dahdouh said.

Dahdouh pitched a total of 8 strikeouts in the second game, allowing five hits, two earned runs and one walk. She ended both games with two runs and two hits while at bat.

The Hawks are ranked second in the Big 8 Conference with a record of 17-5 overall, according to the Hawks Athletics website.

The Hawks are set to go on the road and face the Sierra College Wolverines on Tuesday.

The Wolverines’ record is 8-11 overall and they are ranked fourth in the Big 8 Conference, according to the Big 8 website.

“We are a hard team to beat, but you’ve got to play every game, and you got to play every game soundly. And if we do that, we give ourselves the best chance to win,” Schroeder said.