Merced, CA

The Hawks provided the defense at the right time as the hitting attack for both teams was held in check with a combined total of 9 hits in game 1. The Hawks scored 1 in the 3rd inning and then pushed 2 more runs across the plate in the 4th to hold a 3-0 lead. Merced scored 1 run in the bottom of the 4th, and the scored held up through 7 innings to give the Hawks a 3-1 victory. 

The Hawks defense pulled in 11 fly balls with Amber Wright roaming the outfield while Merced only got 3 hits, and Aimee Hutchinson got the win. 

In the nightcap under the lights, Kacey Lutz provided the defense for the Hawks at 3rd base with 11 putouts. Although Merced jumped out to a 2 run lead in the top of the 1st innings, it was Lutz and the rest of the defense that held Merced in check until the Hawks got back in the game in the 5th. Dani Medina walked with 2 outs in the top of the 5th, and then Brenda Velasquez crushed a ball to straight-away center field for an inside the park home run to tie the game at 2-2. The score was even in the 7th 3-3, and entered into extra innings.  It wasn't until the 10th inning when the International Tiebreaker Rule was in effect that the Hawks scored 2 runs to put the Hawks up 5-3 going into the bottom of the 10th. Hutchinson shut down Merced in the bottom of the 10th and got the win in relief of Angelica Dark in a 5-3 victory. 

The Hawks take their 8-1 record to Butte College on Friday for a 12 pm doubleheader.