Imperial Tigers (Imperial, CA) backers exited the stadium thrilled Wednesday as they saw their softball squad nip the visiting La Quinta Blackhawks (La Quinta, CA), 5-3 in a non-league challenge.

The Tigers now own a 11-5 record. They take the field next when they host Southwest EC for a Desert challenge on Friday, April 21. Imperial will face a Eagles squad coming off a 8-3 league win over Palo Verde Valley (Blythe, CA). The Eagles record now stands at 8-11.

With the loss, La Quinta falls to 16-6 on the campaign. The Blackhawks travel to Rancho Mirage (Rancho Mirage, CA) to face the Rattlers in a Desert Empire challenge on Friday, April 21. The Rattlers enter the challenge with a record of 11-10. Rancho Mirage lost 2-1 in their recent league challenge against Palm Desert (Palm Desert, CA)