Photos by Erik Fraser – Riley Bates in action at Shasta on Wednesday.

Senior Riley Bates pitched a one-hitter against Central Valley at the Shasta tournament on Wednesday, as the McKinleyville Panthers quickly bounced back from a tournament-opening loss the day before.

McKinleyville beat Central Valley 11-0 in five innings.

Bates went the distance and was solid throughout, getting plenty of help from a reliable Mack defense that has stepped up in tournament play.

“He pitched well and we played good defense behind him,” head coach Mike Dobrec said. “I think in both games, defensively we’ve played very well. Our defense has been right behind our pitchers, and Riley came out and established himself today.”

In addition to the one hit, Bates allowed just one walk and struck out four, and he threw the complete game on just 59 pitches.

The senior standout got plenty of help from his offense, as the Panthers broke the deadlock with three runs in the top of the fourth and put the game away with eight more runs in the fifth.

The consistent duo of Kolbey Stolpe and Jackson Kelly again were instrumental at the plate.

Stolpe was 2-for-3 with a double, four RBIs and a run, while Jackson was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a pair of runs.

Tenoch Tapia also made some noise at the plate and was 1-for-2 with two runs, while Scott Meyer was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a run and Jack Saso was 1-for-2 with a run.

The Panthers, who have won three of their past four games to go to 7-5, will close out tournament play against Orland on Thursday at 10 a.m.