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It took the D.C. Divas several possessions to get in sync in their Independent Women's Football League season opener against the visiting Baltimore Nighthawks on Saturday night. But once the Divas found their rhythm, they scored at will in a 54-6 victory before about 1,400 fans at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex in Landover.

The Divas handed Baltimore an early scoring opportunity when they turned the ball over on their first play from scrimmage. But the D.C. defense held the Nighthawks on that possession and the next one after Baltimore (1-1) began its second drive in Divas' territory following a short punt. Twice in the first five minutes of play the Nighthawks failed to convert on fourth down deep in Divas' territory.

After a sluggish first two series, the Divas finally found their stride. Tiffany Matthews opened D.C.'s third drive with a 10-yard run, and three plays later she ended it by running 61 yards for a touchdown that gave the Divas a 6-0 lead.

Although she was starting her first game as the team's quarterback after longtime signal-caller Allyson Hamlin opted not to return this spring, Kathryn Hemlock started the Divas' next scoring drive by returning a short Baltimore punt 19 yards to the Nighthawks' 22-yard line. She connected with veteran wide receiver Tara Stephenson on a 13-yard pass play before Okiima Pickett finished the four-play drive with a 6-yard run off left tackle to make it a 12-0 lead.

"I think everyone had a few butterflies at the start," Hemlock said. "We have a lot of new players and a lot of rookies and everyone is just trying to get on the same page. Once we got going the running game was excellent. The offensive line has been together for a while. A lot is new, but the offensive line is the constant."

The Divas nearly scored a third touchdown in the first quarter, but Baltimore's Kendra Bates intercepted a Hemlock pass at the Nighthawks' 5-yard line. Tanya Wingfield quickly got Baltimore out of its own end of the field with a 60-yard run, and quarterback Lil Drumgold added a 17-yard run to put the Nighthawks in position to score. But the Divas' defense again stiffened and the drive ended with two consecutive incomplete passes by Drummond.

From there, the Divas needed only three plays to march 73 yards. Hemlock hit Stephenson for seven yards, LaShaun Foust followed with a 10-yard run, and then Matthews scampered 56 yards for a touchdown. Pickett added a two-point conversion to give the Divas a 20-0 lead.

Baltimore ended the Divas' bid for a shutout on the ensuing drive, as Drummond found a seam on the left side and got to the sideline and then cut back toward the middle to complete a stellar 66-yard scoring run with 9:15 remaining in the first half.

But that would be the lone highlight for the Nighthawks, who played without Drummond in the second half after she was injured late in the second quarter.

With the Nighthawks committing as many as nine players near the line of scrimmage to stop the Divas' running attack, Hemlock went to the air for two late second-quarter scores. She connected with Matthews on a 45-yard scoring toss with 7:44 left in the half and then hit Stephenson on a 31-yard post pattern, as the Divas took a 35-6 lead by halftime.

Baltimore opened the second half with an 11-play drive, but it was the Divas who got on the board. With Baltimore facing fourth and eight from the Divas' 40-yard line, D.C. linebacker Aketa Ogletree intercepted a Tanya Savage pass and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown. Midway through the third quarter, Pickett scored on a 26-yard run off right tackle and former Nighthawk Kenyetta Grigsby ended the scoring with a four-yard run in the last minute of the third quarter.