The Hawks had two nail-biting victories in their doubleheader against Sierra College on Friday, defeating the Wolverines 8-7 and 3-2, with the second game extending into extra innings.
Both games featured walk-off wins for the Hawks, coming off the bats of shortstop Malia Babasa and catcher Abigail Woodfill. Woodfill’s knock closed out a nine inning bout and two innings over regulation, which remained tied for almost its entirety.
“When the going gets tough, our team fights harder,” Head Coach Kristy Schroeder said. “It was that effort and energy they played with today and that never give up attitude. So I was really happy that we stayed through it.”
The Hawks held a six-run lead in the first match heading into the fifth inning when the Wolverines posted six runs of their own, the tying runs coming off a three-run homerun from Wolverines outfielder Kayleigh Lugowski.
Babasa would claim the victory for the Hawks in the bottom of the seventh inning and hit an RBI single up the middle, barely sneaking past the shortstop’s reach.
“I think the way we got out of that was by picking each other up,” said sophomore pitcher Anjalina Dahdouh. “When someone makes an error or mistake, someone else picks them up and says, ‘Hey, I got you next time.’”
Dahdouh pitched all nine innings in game two, faced over 40 batters and allowed two runs on 11 hits.
The Hawks and Wolverines were in a deadlock for most of the second match where each team put up two runs during regulation, coming in the fourth inning.
Woodfill would change that in the ninth after hitting a ground ball, bouncing off the shortstop’s glove and into left field, driving in a runner from third.
“I would say today was more about the spirit,” said freshman catcher Isabel Vela. “It was definitely a cheer-off between the teams which made it a lot more fun in that game.”
Tensions were high on and off the field as fans from both sides became vocal about their frustrations with the opposing team, as well as the officiating. Multiple calls were reversed after challenges from the other side, including a play which would have given the Hawks the lead late in game two.
The Hawks are 29-7 on the season, their best regular season performance since 2016, where they finished 30-8, according to the Hawks website.
After Friday’s outing, the Hawks are on a six-game win streak.
“The energy that our team has been playing with has probably been the best I’ve seen since I started coaching,” Schroeder said.
The Hawks have four games remaining before playoffs begin, playing their next game on Tuesday at Diablo Valley College against the Vikings. The Hawks are 2-0 against them this season, according to the Hawks website.