PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Hilbert College softball team traveled to La Roche College searching for their first league victory of the 2014 season.  La Roche had other plans as the hosts broke out the bats in the first game to win 7-2.  The RedHawks then relied on a walk-off triple to take the second game, 5-4.  Hilbert falls to 0-4 in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play while La Roche improved to 2-0 in a crazy weather-influenced spring season.

Victoria Dzaak was given the ball to start the game in the circle and carried the Hawks through 3.1 innings.  La Roche built a 2-0 lead by the bottom of the 1st, but the Hawks tacked a run on in the top of the 2nd when Erin Smith's double to center field sent Kateland Ball home for the 2-1 score. 

Pitching and defense kept runners from reaching home as both teams were held scoreless their next at bats. 

But La Roche came alive and connected for five more runs through the bottom of the fourth.   Their single homerun and a double earned two runs in the third, while they started the fourth with their first two batters getting on base via a hit and a walk.  Binder threw the third batter out at first, but the other two base-runners advanced.  The fourth batter hit a single which scored two for the seven run tally.

The RedHawks just had to play defense for the win.  Hilbert had other ideas as they got runners on the bags early in the top of the 6th.  Eliza Stingham earned a base on balls, before Rachel Collier singled to center field.  The RedHawks got nervous and brought in a new pitcher who immediately walked Natalie Whitman.  Kateland Ball, with bases loaded, grounded out to 2nd but moved the runners around the bags and Stringham touched home for the Hawks second run of the day.  The inning ended with the Hawks next batter who lined out to second base.

La Roche was knocking at the door in the 6th inning but tough defense prevented the pinch runners and pinch hitters from getting home.  Whitman forced the batters into ground-outs to limit their offense.

Erin Smith went 2 for 3 as Hilbert finished with six hits.  La Roche ended with nine hits scoring seven runs.

In the second game, Hilbert held a 3-run lead (earned in the 2nd inning) through the middle of the 3rd, but the RedHawks responded with three runs in the bottom half to force the first tie. 

Whitman started a rally with a double and made it home when Smith reached on an error.  Brittany Hancy followed with another double to center and Hall's bunt advanced the runners home and to third.  Stringham earned an RBI ground-out to end the scoring in the second inning.

La Roche tallied their runs off a single, a sac fly and a throwing error in the bottom of the third. 

Both teams waited until the top of the 5^th when Whitman broke the tie on Smith's hard hit to the shortstop who struggled to control the ball.  La Roche earned two hits but scored on an error to knot the game once more in the 6th.

Hilbert went three up  and three down in the top of the 7th.  La Roche's first batter struck out swinging, but their second batter singled to the pitcher.  The RedHawks third batter hit a walk-off triple to center field for the win.

Jaelyn Gotham went the full distance striking out five while giving up six hits and two walks.  The Hawks ended the game with 10 hits with only one walk, but eight strikeouts.  Whitman went 3 for 4 (double) and scored two runs. 

Hilbert returns to action this week when they stay local to Western New York, but still travel to Buffalo's McCarthy Park to face Medaille College April 9th.