Vikings’ softball wins by mercy rule vs Rio Hondo

The Vikings softball team won their matchup against Rio Hondo 14-0 due to strong pitching from Ella Haugo who struck out 12. 

Haugo’s dominant performance on the mound helped the Vikings shut out Rio Hondo and keep them scoreless throughout the game. 

“I would say my mental game felt good. It’s been struggling lately, so this game felt really good.” Haugo said.

In the second inning the Vikings scored nine runs giving the team a huge lead heading into the third inning. 

“It starts with your catcher being able to know that they are confident and calm, having that structure helps a lot.” Haugo said.

The game was ultimately called in the fifth inning due to the mercy rule, but Head coach Megan Martinez still thinks the team has some things they want to focus on. 

“I want us to continue to pound the strike zone, and I want us to keep having quality at bats.” Martinez said.

Martinez  also addressed comparisons to last year’s team and that not every year is the same.

 “We’ve had so much success this year and people fail to realize every year is different,” Martinez said.

The Vikings are hoping to carry this momentum into their upcoming conference games as they continue the season.

“We prepare for every game like it’s a championship, and our motto is if you like what you did, work harder if you don’t like what you did, work harder,” Martinez said.

When asked about the pregame atmosphere, shortstop Madison Fao said the dugout’s energy was on fire and played a big role in the team’s strong performance.

“We all kind of did our own little warm ups differently and I think it helped us lock in and have a good mindset.” Fao said. 

The Vikings remain hopeful as they move forward, their next scheduled game is at Orange Coast, Wednesday, March 25 at 2:30 p.m.