Heartland softball kicked-off the 2024 campaign with a road trip down south, as the Hawks played eight games against four teams across four straight days of action. The Hawks finished the trip to Florida with a 2-6 overall record.
 
Wednesday 2/7
The Hawks opened the trip in Sarasota, Fla. at New College of Florida, dropping a 5-0 decision in game one before defeating the Mighty Banyans 19-1 in game two. Landes Benedict and Concetta DeBord registered two hits apiece in the opening contest before the Hawks rattled off 20 hits in the nightcap.
 
DeBord finished game two going 4 for 4 with four runs scored and three RBI's. Raeghan Morefield finished with three doubles, while Ellie Downing, Shayne Immke, Kennadi Rico and Erin Anderson each supplied two hits apiece for Heartland.
 
Kendyl Hurt picked up the win for the Hawks, yielding one run (unearned) on three hits in three innings pitched while striking out five.
 
Thursday 2/8
Day two of the trip saw the Hawks travel to Bradenton, Fla. to battle State College of Florida. Heartland dropped the opening contest 12-4 in five frames before falling in a close 10-9 battle in the second game.
 
After falling behind 3-1 early in game one, a DeBord single followed by a Morefield double and a single by Immke tied the contest at 3-3. Downing drove in a run moments later on a groundout to give Heartland a 4-3 advantage.
 
From there, a series of miscues by the Hawks allowed the home team to jump back in front at 7-4 in the fourth. The Manatees would score five more times in the fifth to take the first game.
 
After each team scored a run in the opening frame of game two, the Hawks scored seven times in the second to take an 8-1 advantage. Madison Smith, Downing, DeBord and Rico all singled in the frame. Immke followed with a three-run shot to center field for the Hawks.
 
The Manatees responded with three runs each in the third, fifth and sixth to jump back in front 10-8. A one-out walk by Anderson and a Morefield single in the seventh put the Hawks in business, but Benedict was ultimately thrown out at home on a Smith double to end the contest at 10-9.

Friday 2/9
Heartland's third stop of the trip was Ocala, Fla. the home of College of Central Florida. The Hawks struggled to gain much momentum on either side of the ball against the Patriots dropping 10-0 and 10-1 decisions.
 
The lone run for the Hawks on the afternoon came in the fifth inning of game two, as Smith laced a single up the middle to score Lilly Hicks. Immke paced the Hawks with two hits in the contest, while Hicks, Benedict, and Anderson also supplied a hit apiece.
 
Saturday 2/10
The Hawks wrapped-up the week with two games against Pasco-Hernando Community College in New Port Richey, Fla. Two late runs proved to be the difference in a 4-2 win over the Bobcats in the opening game. After the contest was tied 2-2, an RBI single by DeBord gave the Hawks a 3-2 advantage in the sixth frame. Immke followed that with a swipe of home in the seventh to give the Hawks a little cushion at 4-2.
 
Morgan Malone secured the victory for the Hawks in the bottom-half of the inning. Malone tossed a complete game, allowing just two runs (one earned) on five hits, while walking two and striking out three.
 
Game two was another close battle, with the Bobcats ultimately walking it off in the eighth inning. Three walks to open the game by the Bobcats followed by a Morefield single put the Hawks on the board at 1-0 to begin the contest. A Downing run-scoring knock and a fielder's choice by Anderson extended the advantage to 5-0.
 
Pasco-Hernando responded with three runs in the bottom of the first. The teams traded runs for much of the contest before the Hawks scored a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth to take an 11-5 lead. The Bobcats would rally for four runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and the game-deciding run in the eighth to take game two.
 
DeBord again paced the Hawks with four hits. Immke and Christensen added two hits apiece.
 
The Hawks will return to action at 1 pm on Thursday at Gordon State College in Barnesville, Ga. for a doubleheader. The Hawks will then play two games each on Friday and Saturday at East Georgia State College.