
File photos – The Hoopa Warriors improved to 4-0 in the Little 4 with a pair of wins at Ferndale on Tuesday afternoon.
The Hoopa Warriors continued to roll in softball on Tuesday afternoon, stretching their winning streak to 10 straight with two more league wins.
Playing at Ferndale, the Hoopa girls won 18-1 and 11-1 and improved to 4-0 in the Little 4 and 10-2 on the season.
Eight different Hoopa players hit successfully, led by senior Tatianna Colegrove, who was 8-for-9 on the day with two triples and four doubles.
Colegrove also pitched both wins, striking out 19 batters over the two games.
A young Ferndale team was playing its first games of the year and turned in a solid performance at the plate against one of the best pitchers in the H-DN.
“We put the ball in play against what I consider one of the top pitchers in the county, if not the section,” Ferndale head coach Jeremy Griffith. “I was really impressed with our bats, and defensively we got better throughout the day.”
The Cats feature five freshmen in the six infield positions and have just two starting seniors on the team, outfielders Lillian Chase-Rocha and Lexi Blake.
“They lead by example,” Griffith said of the seniors. “They put in the hard work.”
Blake had one of three hits for the Ferndale girls in game one, with Tinnley Pidgeon also going 1-for-2 with a run and Alayna Cooney going 1-for-2.
Cooney also hit successfully in game two, while teammate Madison Gossi was 1-for-2.
Pidgeon, who is coming off a strong freshman campaign on the basketball court, also impressed at catcher.
“She works hard behind the plate,” the head coach said. “She’s athletic.”

File photo – Tatianna Colegrove
In the circle, meanwhile, another freshman has stepped up for the team, with Danica Dowd answering the call on a roster that didn’t feature any pitching experience.
“She’s doing a great job throwing strikes,” Griffith said.
Cooney and Gossi also had some nice at-bats.
Several Hoopa players also had a good day at the plate, including Nae-Rew Martin, who finished with five hits, including three doubles.
Nalani Colegrove also had four hits including two triples and a double, while Millenia McKindley 6-for-8 with a double and Maizey Maloney was 5-for-6 with two doubles.
Jewely Bibancos added four hits while her twin sister Diamond had three hits, including a double, and Sarah Juan had one.
“Hoopa really hit the ball well,” Griffith said. “They made some nice adjustments and had some good at-bats.”
So too did the young Ferndale lineup, which will no doubt continue to improve as the season progresses.
“Overall, for being our first two games, we got better as the day went on and they kept a good attitude,” the head coach said. “I think we’ve got a really good foundation to build off.
“We’ll take our lumps, but as long as they keep the right attitude, they’ll get a lot better and we’ll see improvement.”
Next up, on Thursday, the Wildcats travel to Laytonville, while the Warriors are scheduled to play at Credo.
Categories: Ferndale, Hoopa Valley, Softball