SARATOGA -- Third-ranked West Valley aced its toughest task of the year to this point in the season, sweeping No. 6 Cosumnes River in a Friday double-header before fighting in a pair of nine-inning games against Modesto.

The Vikings (9-0) hadn't played a one-run game through their first five games of the season and hadn't scored fewer than four runs in a game. But both of those conditions flipped in the pair against the Hawks (10-4), who came in with a ton of early-season experience. The Vikings took both games to establish themselves in the states' top-three, winning each game by a final of 3-2.

"Sometimes," said head coach Vicky Piatt, "wins don't look pretty. And this team has been hitting so well. In the laws of softball, sometimes you're going to hit those little waves and they did enough. They did what they needed to do to win two games today."

West Valley stuck with the red-hot Katy Lambert in the circle in the first game, but the Vikings had to play from behind. After each team went scoreless in the first inning, the Hawks used a double and a pair of sacrifice bunts sandwiching the rest of the innings' action to score a pair of runs and take a lead with some cushion.

In the bottom of the third inning, second baseman Mo Temple drove in the Vikings' first run with a groundout to cut the deficit to one.

But the Vikings kept chipping away. In the fourth, Raylene Cruz punished a double before trading places with Destiny Solis, who doubled her home. It was all part of a terrific day for the freshman catcher, who finished 3-of-7 with a pair of doubles.

For Piatt, who has spoken highly of Solis since day one, did not mince words: "it's what I expect from her."

The Vikings continued to push the tempo against Cosumnes River in the fifth inning when Izzy Paskert hit a one-out single and Temple moved her to second. Sophomore Lexi Bojorquez-Nava, moved up to the third spot after a near-perfect start to the season, doubled Paskert home to push the Vikings to a lead.

"We talk about peaks and valleys," said Piatt, "or riding the waves and [Bojorquez-Nava] just is so consistent. And what she did as a freshman was just the beginning. And then her bringing this to sophomore year, she's going to continue to just thrive. She's going to put the numbers up."

The sophomore also talked about her strong start to the season, and finding a pace to the game that feels right for her.

"Just realizing that I'm in control," said Bojorquez-Nava, "and taking my time up to bat. It might get some people mad, but I like to take my time because if I'm rushed, then it might feel a little bit too fast. I just think breathing and taking my time and making sure that like my body is in the right place as it should be."

Lambert (3-0) battled through some early traffic and finished 5.1 innings of two-run ball, striking out six while continuing to feature the swing-and-miss stuff she had in her arsenal before taking a year off. Ana Marquez came in and dominated the rest of the way, allowing a hit while striking out a pair of batters to close out the win.

Piatt talked before the season about how she believed her team could manufacture a run at almost any time in a game, a trait that came in handy against the Hawks.

"I actually talked about it in our team meeting," said Piatt. "Our pitching kept us in the game, our defense kept us in the game, and we just needed those. We knew we were going to be able to scratch a run out. It's reassuring to know that your team can pull it through. When it comes down to it, they're fighters. They're going to fight."

The Vikings took an early lead in the second game when Bojorquez-Nava doubled home another run with a double after yet another two-out rally from West Valley. That's where the lead stood until Marquez, who had the start, allowed two runs in the top of the fifth inning and handed the ball to Menlo-transfer Bri Padilla.

The lefty had her swing-and-miss stuff going, striking out a pair of batters in the sixth inning while punching out five in four shutout, one-hit innings overall. Even in a high-pressure spot, Padilla stayed calm.

"Definitely high intensity," said Padilla. "You can feel the tension in the dugout. You can feel the excitement from everybody. But I think with me personally, it was just about keeping my composure and making sure that I was there for my team when they needed me. My walk-up song, my music always helps me kind of settle in. Talking to myself, letting myself know that I do believe in myself and I can do things."

In the eighth inning, freshman catcher Destiny Solis had her finest moments as a Viking. In the top half, Solis threw out a runner trying to steal second before she doubled to lead off the bottom half.

"Especially as a freshman," said Solis, "no one's really expecting that from you. Throwing someone out, getting a big play, and then, having to just relax yourself to get a clutch hit for your team, it was so exciting for me."

Following her double, April Price struggled to put a bunt down but pulled back on a two-strike pitch and hit a ground ball up the middle that couldn't be handled by the Cosumnes River defense as the Vikings picked up their first walk-off win of the season.

"She was struggling with bunting," said Piatt, "and I gave a slap at the end. And she kind of was like, 'are you sure?' Cause [with a] runner at second, you want to get the runner to third with one out. For her to pull that off was big."

Traveling to Modesto on Saturday, the Vikings one-upped themselves, going from a pair of one-run games to a pair of nine-inning contests for the first time this year. The Vikings led 3-0 in the first game when Temple had an RBI single and sophomore infielder Ella Moser hit a two-run double in the following inning.

But the Pirates (3-7) were feisty in chipping away, scoring a run off of an error in the bottom of the fourth before tying up the ballgame in the seventh with a pair of unearned runs off Amelia Sizemore. Both teams traded zeros in the eighth inning before West Valley's offense erupted in the ninth.

Price and Moser both reached base at the bottom of the order before Paskert, the leadoff hitter, singled Price home. In one of her best games as a Viking to this point, Temple hit a two-run double to give the Vikings some cushion before DP Sadie Heming's sacrifice fly put the final nail in the coffin.

The second game was even more of a pitchers' duel, as Kaylee Kline dealt in the circle over 4.1 innings before being relieved by Padilla. The Vikings played some small ball early on, with Temple driving in a run on a groundout in the third before the Pirates evened the score in the fourth.

Padilla (2-0) was nails yet again, finishing a season-long 4.2 shutout innings without allowing a hit. On the weekend overall, the Vikings' lefty won both of her decisions while only allowing one hit in her 8.2 innings of shutout work.

West Valley manufactured a run in the top of the ninth when, after two quick outs, Price reached on an error and Moser singled her home. In the bottom half, Padilla stranded a two-out hit by pitch before fielding a ball from the ensuing hitter in the circle and putting her final stamp on the ballgame.

Even though neither game was as smooth as the Vikings would have originally wanted, Piatt sees immense value in playing these close games early in the season.

"It's huge," said Piatt. "It's really big for us because our goal is, by the end of season, to be put in so many situations that when it comes to that state championship game, it doesn't matter what's thrown at us. We'll be fully prepared and we can look back and say, 'hey, we've been here before'.

As a veteran, Bojorquez-Nava believes this freshman class is getting invaluable experience early on as they continue their push towards conference play.

"As hard as it is," said Bojorquez-Nava, "learn what's next and let whatever, even past plays, just let it go because you can't do anything about it. I know it's like really hard. And, as a freshman, you do want to prove yourself, prove your position, but just let it go if it was anything negative, and just keep being positive, just stay up."

9-0 to start their season for the second straight year, the Vikings look to push to ten straight wins with a matchup against a red-hot, tenth-ranked Delta team coming up next.