JEFFERSON – Talk about your explosive starts.

South Hamilton erupted for eight runs in its first at bat, added two more in the third inning and then went silent until it posted two more runs in the seventh on Monday, as the Hawks began their week by bombing Greene County, 12-1, in a Heart of Iowa Conference softball clash.

Nine different players accounted for the team’s 14 hits off Rams’ pitcher Hannah Promes. Ady Wintermote led the way with a 3 for 5 night at the dish with a double and three RBI. Clean-up hitter Ronnie Olson shelled a pair of hits, one of them a double, and plated a season-high five runs. Alyssa Hegland also collected two hits and drove in one run for South Hamilton (11-8, 6-4 HOIC).

Hitting out of the No. 9 slot for the Hawks, Alissa Moss strung together two hits and she scored three runs. Taylor Volkmann, Chloe Barkema, Cortney Harris, Brittany Spindler and Lily Skartvedt all finished with one hit. Spindler found the gap for a double; Barkema and Harris produced one RBI each.

Coming off a lopsided loss to Ballard in the Roland Kiwanis Tournament on Saturday, the Hawks were determined to show they were a better team than they showed two days earlier.

They succeeded.

“It was nice to see them bounce back,” South Hamilton head coach Rusty Wintermote said. “I saw the kids respond from the non-focus and lack of assertiveness against Ballard. They hate to lose and they wanted to come out and show that was just something that happened and that they’ve moved forward.”

The early onslaught included seven hits in the first at bat, including two from Ady Wintermote. Olson collected three of her RBI in the first.

“Our goal was to put the ball in play for every batter and when you go to the scorebook, everybody but one girl put it in play in that first inning,” Rusty Wintermote said.

The first-inning showcase made Volkmann’s job a lot easier in the pitcher’s circle. After yielding a first-inning solo home run to Sydney Koch, the South Hamilton freshman settled down and dominated the rest of the way. She allowed six hits and finished with 11 strikeouts.

The Hawks will be back on their home diamond this evening to host Gilbert at 7 p.m.