Humber softball’s dugout erupted in joy and huddled around first base in celebration of their double-header wins against the Mohawk Mountaineers on Sept. 21.
The final play was made by second baseman Victoria Lopez, who batted a single, allowing Jessica La Ronde to score. Fitting, as Lopez is placed fourth in the conference with a batting average of .526 in eight games played.
The Hawks are 10-0 so far this season, and rank first in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA). The Mountaineers are 0-8 after Sunday’s doubleheader, and rank last in the league.
In the first game, third-year pitcher Shade Hansen got the start on the mound and kept things in check right from the beginning.
On the other hand, it was a slow start for Humber’s batters, but in the bottom of the third, first-year catcher Peyton Fitzgerald and Victoria Lopez were on the bags.
As fourth-year outfielder Shea Hilpert stepped up to bat, she brought in Fitzgerald for the first run of the game.
Hilpert is the new stolen base leader for Humber softball, with 43 career stolen bases.
Her achievement marks a new program record for all-time career stolen bases.
Lopez then scored on a defensive error by the Mountaineers to give Humber a 2-0 lead.
Although the blue-and-gold managed to get more hits throughout the game, none resulted in runs.
The final score would be locked at 2-0, as Hansen recorded seven strikeouts over seven innings.
Currently, she leads the conference with 41 strikeouts in six games played.
As Humber looked to end the day on a series sweep, Bowles gave third-year pitcher Michaela Brown her first start of the season for the second game.
But after a few miscues by the Hawks, the Mountaineers would jump ahead of them by two runs.
At the top of the third, Mohawk would add two more runs, intensifying the pressure for the Hawks. But in the bottom of the half, Humber came back, when second-year infielder Marlee Greer hit an RBI double deep into right field, cutting the lead, 4-2.
In the top of the fifth, Greer and third-year infielder Reese Vellocci fought to keep Humber in the game. Moments later, Claudia Hansen drove in another two runs, giving the Hawks their first lead of the game, with a score of 6-5.
In the next frame, Mohawk gained three more runs, until Humber’s Victoria Lopez singled, ran home, to diminish their lead. Greer would then tie up the game for the Hawks, where both sides were tied up at eight, heading into the seventh.
At the bottom of the final inning, Lopez delivered once more, smashing one into left field, securing a 9-8 win for the Hawks.
Bowles said that even though the team has faced many challenges this season, they are very resilient.
This is something he hopes will continue to see moving forward as they get closer to the championships in October.
But one player stood out among them in the victory celebration following the two-game series sweep, although she didn't play.
In the last twin bill against the Fanshawe Falcons on Sept. 18, the Hawks' first base player River Johnston went down at the top of the second, after she overextended on a play while trying to tag a runner, injuring her left shoulder.
In a pre-game interview, head coach Duaine Bowles said she has a history of subluxing that shoulder. Subluxation occurs when the bones are partially out of alignment, but remain somewhat intact. It is also known as a partial dislocation.
“When she hit the runner, her shoulder actually popped out, so while she was lying on the ground, it was out, and then when she moved, it went back in,” Bowles said.
He said she was sent to the hospital after the injury occurred, and there is no timeline for when she could return.
Zoe Scougall, a third-year pitcher for the Hawks, said she felt an immediate sense of worry for her fellow teammate.
“Immediately, we all kind of grouped together, and we were like, 'What do we do, how do we come back from something like that?'” Scougall said.
“The talk that we had on the mound was like we’re going to do this next inning and the rest of the game for her,” she said.
But her injury didn’t deter them from moving forward and putting these games against Mohawk behind them, too.
