There is nothing quite like sitting back to watch the ball fly off one’s bat far beyond the outfield fences as the batter rounds the bases in triumph.
In their final doubleheader of the regular season, the Lakeland Hawks (9-12, 5-3) softball team got to do plenty of watching the ball soar over the fence, racking up four home runs in game one and completing the season sweep of the Sandpoint Bulldogs (3-21, 0-8). The Hawks took the first game 17-2 and the second game 25-12.
“It was just the energy in the dugout,” Delilah Zimmerman said. “It pumped us all up. We normally don’t have that energy, but that’s what got us through the two games. We wanted it more. We were more aggressive and got ahead right at the start of the game.”
Zimmerman led the charge for the Hawks, homering in both games and ending the day with nine RBIs and six runs scored.
Abby Helmholz pitched in the first game for the Hawks, allowing just two runs and striking out five through five innings of work.
Kiersten Drake hit a two-run homer in the first inning, starting things off for the Hawk’s offense and capping off a five-run inning. The Hawks broke things open in the second inning, scoring seven on three home runs from Zimmerman, Baylee Frank and Payton Sterling.
Zimmerman finished the first game 3 for 3 with three RBIs and ended the game just a double shy of the cycle. Sterling had two hits and RBIs, and Drake finished with four RBIs.
In game two, the Bulldogs offense woke up, but the Hawks scored even more, finishing the doubleheader with 42 total runs. Zimmerman had three hits and six RBIs, including a three-run home run. Alexis Hannah finished with three hits and four RBIs. Sterling hit three doubles and drove in three runs.
This doubleheader was the perfect opportunity to bring the team together and start playing their best softball prior to the postseason.
The Hawks hold the second-seed in the 4A Inland Empire League heading into districts. They will play Sandpoint in Moscow in an elimination game on May 7. The winner will advance to a best-of-three series against the Moscow Bears.
“We have to have a good mindset and go in with the mindset that we’re going to win,” Zimmerman said. “We need to focus on communicating and working as a team. We need to not get down right away and be able to adjust. The Sandpoint series helped us prepare for the postseason because we’re now pumped for districts.”
