[Softball] Hawks Falter in GSAC Openers against No. 9 Hope International

FULLERTON, Calif. — The SDC softball team faced their toughest GSAC test of the season in the conference opener on Tuesday.

The Hawks showed grit but fell in both games of the doubleheader to the No. 9 Royals, 5-1 in Game 1 and 7-4 in Game 2. SDC falls to 5-5 on the season on 0-2 in conference play.

HIU scored first in Game 1 before the Hawks tied the game up in the fourth. Bailey Romano singled home Alicia Corona on a 1-2 count. But the Royals scored two runs in the fifth and sixth. SDC scored their one run on five hits. Five different Hawks tallied a hit. Madison Bostick was tagged with the loss throwing the complete game. She gave up 11 hits and five runs with six strikeouts.

In Game 2, the Hawks struck first. Josie Nicolas reached on an error by the Royals third baseman as Madison Potts scored on the throwing error for the 1-0 lead. HIU, though, scored in the bottom half of the third with a solo homer.

The Royals added four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 5-1 lead. In the sixth, the Hawks mounted a comeback scoring three runs. SDC scored all three runs off errors. Noemi Farfan reach on an error by the shortstop scoring two, Tori Harris and Corona. Potts then reached on a fielding error as Farfan come trotting home.

HIU answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to seal the win.

The Hawks will travel to La Sierra on Friday before returning to GSAC play against Vanguard on Saturday.