RWU baseball capped off their shortened spring break trip to South Carolina and Virginia with a 4-2 record. On the second game of their trip against Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), junior infielder Tyler Cedeno connected on a double into center field with two outs, allowing senior Justin Stone to score the winning run for the Hawks.     

“The game was a battle from the beginning for us. We were tested early on when Case Western strung together some runs in the first couple innings,” Cedeno said. 

“We were able to chip away all the way up until… we had an opportunity to win.”

With the speedy Stone on first base, Cedeno knew he needed to place a perfect hit with enough distance for Stone to advance the 270 feet and score the winning run. 

“After working a comfortable count to hit in, the pitcher made a good pitch that I was able to adjust to and still get a lot behind. Once I saw it was over the center fielder’s head, I knew Stone had it easy with his speed,” Cedeno said. 

On their spring trip, the Hawks received word their season would come to an end due to COVID-19, leaving the team and its senior leaders especially shocked, confused and upset.

“Going into this trip, we were fully prepared to kick off the start of a championship season. At the time, there was really no threat of losing our season,” Cedeno said.

“Before the first CWRU game, we were addressed by our coach saying that things were starting to happen. Primarily the same coverage one would see on the news.”  

The fluidity of the situation certainly changed the attitude for the Hawks.

“I saw a group of guys come together stronger than any group I’ve ever seen and not take a single second of the game for granted. True love for one another. The heartbreak I feel for this group of seniors who simply did not get to finish is unbearable,” Cedeno said.   

The RWU softball team went .500 on their annual spring break trip to Florida this season with the help of a walk off single by sophomore first baseman Alexandra Lombardo on March 11. The Hawks were tied with Bridgewater State at four runs a piece when Lombardo struck a single through the left side of the field, bringing senior Tara Chatowsky home for the winning run. 

The Hawks walked it off again in crunch time the next day, this time against Geneva College, thanks to a sacrifice fly by sophomore Francesca Cioffi to center field with bases loaded. This action allowed junior Sydney Provencal to score the winning run.