Heartland baseball has won 12 of its last 13 games entering a pivotal stretch of its season, including a 4-1 week last week. The Hawks defeated South Suburban College on Wednesday before taking three of four games over Danville Area on Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, the Hawks routed Carl Sandburg 14-1 on Monday, and currently sit at 30-11 (19-5) overall.
 
Game 1 vs. South Suburban
A six-run opening frame propelled the Hawks to a 6-2 victory on Tuesday over South Suburban College at Illinois Wesleyan University. After TJ Williams singled to lead off the contest, Corey Boyette launched a two-run homer to right field to make it 2-0 in favor of Heartland. A Brady Davidson single and an error by the Bulldogs set up a Kaden Griffitts RBi-single to make it 3-0. Moments later, Kyle Jannenga hit a three-run bomb as the Hawks led 6-0 through one frame.
 
The Bulldogs would score once in the third, and another in the eighth, but the Hawks held strong to secure the win. Davidson and Patrick Gardner each had two hits for the Hawks.
 
Game 2 @ Danville Area
The Hawks opened a four-game series against Region-24 foe Danville Area Community College with an 11-4 win on Saturday at Danville. After each team failed to score in the opening two innings, a Boyette RBI-double gave the Hawks a 1-0 advantage.
 
The Jaguars would score four times in the third to take a 4-1 lead, but the Hawks responded with five tallies in the sixth to retake a 6-4 advantage. Davidson and Griffitts each supplied run-scoring singles before a Cale Steinbaugh RBI-double and a Max Hennemann RBI-single made it 6-4.
 
Boyette added a solo shot in the seventh to make it 7-4. Run-scoring singles by Hennemann and Jesse Contreras, and a TJ Williams sacrifice fly extended the lead to 10-4. A double by Aidan McNamme in the ninth accounted for the lone other run for the Hawks in the win.
 
Contreras paced the Hawks with four hits in the contest. Gardner received the win in four shutout innings of relief, allowing just one hit and one walk with five strikeouts.
 
Game 3 @ Danville Area
Seven early tallies for the Hawks ignited them to a 7-6 win over the Jaguars in game two of the day Saturday. The Hawks scored five times in the second frame. Steinbaugh led things off with an RBI-double before Williams drove-in another tally with a fielder's choice to make it 2-0. A passed ball and a Contreras RBI-single made it 4-0 before Davidson singled home another run to give Heartland a 5-0 lead.
 
A run-scoring triple by Tommy Atkinson and another run-scoring hit by Contreras made it 7-0. The Jaguars would score six runs in the fifth to make it 7-6, but Michael Vitellaro worked his way out of a jam and the Hawks held on.
 
Game 4 vs. Danville Area
Heartland returned home to The Corn Crib on Sunday to face-off with the Jaguars for two more games. Eight runs by the Jaguars in extra innings secured a 12-4 win for the visitors in the first contest of the day.
 
An RBI-groundout by Davidson in the first gave the Hawks an early 1-0 advantage, but the Jaguars scored twice in the second to make it 2-1. A Hennemann RBI-single tied the contest at 2-2. Both teams would be held scoreless until the sixth, when Atkinson drove-in a run with a sacrifice fly before Hennemann delivered another RBI hit to give the Hawks a 4-2 lead heading into the final half-inning.
 
A two-out, two-run single by the Jaguars tied things at 4-4 in the seventh. The Hawks had a chance to walk it off in the seventh, as Gardner launched a fly ball to deep center field. Danville Area's Shea Zbrozek had a different idea, however, as he made a spectacular play to rob Gardner of extra bases and keep the contest tied. The Jaguars would score eight times in the ensuing half-inning to take the victory.
 
Game 5 vs. Danville Area
The Hawks rebounded for an 18-2 win in five frames in the series finale on Sunday. The Hawks scored 10 runs in the first frame, two each in the second and third innings, and four more in the fourth. Griffitts finished with four hits, including a long-ball. Williams added three hits for the Hawks.
 
Luke Wright picked up the win, throwing five innings and allowing two runs on five hits, with one walk and four strikeouts.
 
Game 6 vs. Carl Sandburg
On Monday, the Hawks welcomed Carl Sandburg to The Corn Crib for a night game, using an eight-run first frame to boost them to a 14-1 win in seven innings. Griffitts hit two home runs and a triple in the contest. Williams added three hits. Jimmy Amptmann was dominant in his six innings on the mound, allowing one run (unearned) on two hits. He yielded two walks with nine strikeouts.
 
The Hawks return to action at 2:30 pm Wednesday at St. Charles Community College.