NORMAL, Ill. - In their first home games since returning from Osceola, Florida, the #10 Hawks (NJCAA Division II) shared wins with the #1 Rock Valley College Golden Eagles (NJCAA Division III) Thursday night at the Corn Crib. The Hawks are now 10-3 (0-0) on the season, with their first Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) matchup coming this Saturday against Parkland College. 

Game 1: (L, 2-7)

Sophomore Marissa Adams (University of Wisconsin - Whitewater commit) would get the start on the mound for the Hawks, keeping the Golden Eagles off the board through the first two innings. It was in the third inning that Rock Valley would drive in two runs on hits from Camryn Bedell and Megen Johnson. Rock Valley would go on to score again in the fifth inning on a single from Bedell. The sixth inning would see Alyssa Roll come in to pitch, giving up back to back solo home runs by Rock Valley's Paige Webster and Trinity Fry. In the bottom of the sixth, the Hawks tacked a run on the board thanks to a wild pitch from pitcher Hannah Crown. The Golden Eagles scored another two insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning, with the Hawks only able to add another single run on a sacrifice single from Danielle Ladendorf.

Game 2: (W, 7-6 in eight innings)

In the second game of Thursday afternoon's double header, the Hawks gave sophomore Tijanne Ross (University of Wisconsin - Parkside commit) the start at pitcher. The Victoria, British Columbia native would go on to pitch 4.0 innings, allowing three runs. However, the Hawks got on the board early, scoring one run in the bottom of the first on a Maddie Mackey (Northern Illinois University commit) ground-out, and another four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Molly Walter got that scoring started on a solo home run to left field, Danielle Ladendorf knocked in Grace LaFollett on a ground-out at first, and Maddie Mackey and Jasmine McCormick added two more on a Rock Valley error. The Golden Eagles slowly chipped away at the Hawks lead, adding two runs in the fourth inning, another run in the fifth, and two more in the sixth. After a scoreless seventh inning, the score remained tied at six, forcing the game into extra innings. Sarah Crebo and Marissa Adams helped keep Rock Valley off the board in the top of the eighth inning to give the Hawks a chance to end the game in walk-off fashion. They did just that. It was Walter again coming in clutch for the Hawks, who drove in freshman Alyssa Martin on a single to center field to end the game with a final score of 7-6. 

The Hawks return home on Saturday, March 23rd at 1:00 PM at the Corn Crib in Normal, Illinois as they face conference rivals Parkland College. You can watch the free live stream of all Hawks home games online at heartlandhawks.com/watch.