Hawks use high power offense to take down Lakers

The Hocking College Hawks softball team traveled to Kirtland, OH yesterday to take on the Lakeland Community College Lakers and walked away with a sweep, improving to 9-5 overall and 2-0 in the OCCAC.

In game one, the Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Grace Hash led off with a walk, was moved to third on a sac bunt by Makayla Ball, and came home on Alessandra Mavilla's ground out. After the Lakers took a very brief 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first, the Hawks bats came alive in the top of the second. Katie Hoffa led off the inning with a double to centerfield, Chylece Cluck reached by error and Alexia Spangler's single to center scored Hoffa and Cluck. Hash hit a line drive to left to keep things going and the Mavilla delivered a 3-run bomb to centerfield to extend the lead to 6-2. Carissa Wheeler walked, Sara Fattori singled and then Hoffa came to bat and delivered again hitting a 3-run home run to left field to give the Hawks a 9-2 lead. The Hawks would score again in the fourth inning when Ball led off the inning with a double to left and score on Mavilla's single to left center. In the fifth inning, Cluck started things by getting on by another Laker error and moved to second on by Hash's second hit of the game. Ball then hit her second double of the game to score Cluck to round out the scoring at 11-3.  Sophomore Lexie Wilkes earned her first win of the season throwing a five-inning complete game, scattering 10 hits while not walking anyone.

In game 2, the Hawks found themselves in an early hole down 4-0 going into the second inning when the Hawks batted around in the inning. Fattori got things going by reaching base by error. Hoffa and Cluck followed up with back-to-back singles where Fattori would score on Cluck's hit. After Amanda Lillis's sac bunt moved Hoffa and Cluck up a base, Alexia Spangler walked to load the bases. Hash followed that with a 2-run single that would score Hoffa and Cluck. Mavilla would come up and hit a double to left center to score Hash and tie the score at 4-4 all. The Lakers would strike back and add four more runs in the bottom of the second to re-take the lead at 8-4. In the top of the third inning, Fattori would lead off withe a single and Hoffa would then come up and hit her second home run of the game to close the gap to 8-6 going into the bottom of the third inning. After shutting the Lakers down in the third, the Hawks came back in the fourth when Ball led off the inning with a single and moved to third on Mavilla's double to left. Carissa Wheeler followed that up with a 3-run home run to deep left field to give the Hawks their first lead of the game at 9-8. The Hawks would blow the game open in the sixth with another monster inning. Ball led the inning off with a single, Mavilla would reach on a bunt single, Wheeler would rip a single to left to score Ball, Fattori would lay a sac bunt down that would score Mavilla from second, Hoffa would single to center that would score Wheeler, Cluck would walk and Spangler would hit a single on the infield to load the bases. After Hoffa scored on a wild pitch, Hash would step up next and hit a single to left that would score Cluck and Spangler. Ball would then step up and get her third hit of the game with a single to right that would score Hash to extend the lead to 16-9. The Hawks would tak on two more runs in the seventh when Wheeler would start things with a walk and advance to third when Fattori would hit a double to left. Hoffa would score Wheeler on a groundout and Fattori would score on a wild pitch to push the lead to 18-9. The Lakers would then score two more runs in the seventh to round out the scoring at 18-11. Hash, Ball, Mavilla, and Hoffa would all lead the offensive onslaught with 3 hits each with Hash and Hoffa each picking up 4 RBI. Wheeler, Fattori, and Spangler would collect two hits each with Wheeler picking up 4 RBI. Freshman Emily Hanes would pick up her first win of the season in the circle striking out six Lakers.

The Hawks return to action today to take on the Terra State Titans in doubleheader at Sports Force Park in Sandusky with first pitch at 1:30pm ET.