Blue Hawks heat up, win 4 of 5

There is no such thing as a halfway swing in softball – either you swing at the ball with authority or you don't – there should be no in-between.

Getting back on their game and swinging their bats with focused abandon, the Lady Hawks won four of five games last week, pancaking Priest River 29-2 and 28-2 in Idaho Thursday, driving past Troy 12-2 in Thompson Falls Friday and splitting games with Eureka in Lincoln County Saturday, dropping the opener 25-15 but coming back to win the second game 16-4.

Coach Jared Koskela thinks a lot of it all comes down to taking a leap of faith – in yourself when in the batter's box.

"You have got to commit when you swing, either you are going after the ball or you're not," Koskela said. "It was good to see us getting after it at the plate like we were last week, that was a pretty good stretch of games for us."

Koskela was particularly impressed with his Hawks' efforts in Eureka. He said the Lions have secured a bye into the Western B-C divisional tournament as the No. 3 team behind leaders Florence and Mission-Arlee-Charlo, and have not been allowing that many runs along the way, but the Hawks scored 31 in two games.

"I would have to say I am happy with getting the split in Eureka," he said. "They are a pretty good team and we played very hard up there. We can do this and I think this shows the girls what we are capable of."

Possibly looking at a play-in game for the Western B-C divisional tournament either Monday or Tuesday, the Lady Hawks will wrap up regular season play hosting Anaconda Saturday at 1 p.m. Originally set as a doubleheader, there will now be only one game as Anaconda did not want to play two Saturday.

Displaying the type of hitting prowess Koskela has been preaching lately, the Hawks hammered out 16 hits against Troy pitching in rolling to that win in Thompson Falls Friday.

Cella VanHuss swung a mean stick for the Hawks, belting out four hits (including a double) and driving in three runs to lead the win, sister Danni-jo VanHuss added three hits and an RBI, Abbi Lane was good for a hit and two runs batted in, and MacKenzie Robinson, Olivia Harnett and Dylan Vigil all added RBIs.

Riley Wilson blasted two doubles and scored twice and Cheyla Irvine had a hit and a run scored.

Irvine pitched the five-inning win, scattering four Troy hits and striking out three Trojans along the way.

In Eureka, the Hawks lashed out 18 hits in the first game loss. Wilson enjoyed a monster game at the plate, rapping out five hits in five at-bats, again hitting two doubles and driving in four runs.

Irvine and Danni-jo VanHuss added two RBIs each, and Robinson and Harnett one apiece.

Danni-jo was the Lion-killer in the second game at Eureka, driving in a team-high six runs, sister Cella and Irvine added two apiece, and Blakely Lakko, Harnett and Lane one each. Cella VanHuss scored four times, Wilson and Lane three times each, and Robinson and Vigil twice apiece.

Irvine pitched the win, allowing only three hits.

Koskela was enthused with the Hawks' effort. "We 10-runned one of the better teams in our division on their own field," he said, "and that has to help our confidence the rest of the way."