Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Arcata Tigers will open a big series against the Fortuna Huskies on Wednesday.

By Ray Hamill — The Big 5 and Little 4 teams return to league play this coming week, with some big matchups on tap in baseball and softball.

Fresh off their spring breaks, the H-DN softball teams didn’t see much action this past week, while a few of the league’s baseball teams enjoyed some success competing at the Shasta tournament, including both Eureka and Arcata, which each won all three of their games in Redding.

And they’ll be hoping to carry that form back into league play.

The biggest games of the upcoming week involve the Big 5 frontrunners in baseball and the two hottest teams in the area, with Fortuna and Arcata facing off in a pivotal three-game series that could go a long way toward deciding the fate of this year’s league title.

The league-leading Huskies will host the series opener on Wednesday and they come into the series riding a five-game winning streak that has seen them go to 5-1 in the Big 5 (6-4-1 overall).

The Tigers, however, have been equally impressive and will carry an eight-game winning streak into Wednesday’s big showdown, which is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.

Arcata is 2-1 in league and 13-2 overall.

The two teams will conclude the three-game series with a doubleheader at Arcata next Saturday.

Also in action this coming week, McKinleyville (3-3 in league) and Del Norte (0-3) will play a three-game series in baseball, with the action getting under way at Mack High on Wednesday afternoon, also at 4 p.m.

The Fortuna Huskies

The Panthers will also host a non-league game against Trinity on Tuesday afternoon.

The Eureka Loggers, meanwhile, have a bye in league play this week and will play a doubleheader at Windsor next Saturday.

In Little 4 baseball, meanwhile, a pair of doubleheaders are scheduled for next Saturday, with league leaders St. Bernard’s (6-0) playing at South Fork (3-3) and Hoopa (0-6) traveling to play Ferndale (3-3).

The Wildcats are also scheduled to play a non-league game at Potter Valley on Thursday.

In softball, two of the league frontrunners will play each other in a non-league showdown on Tuesday afternoon, when Eureka travels to play at Hoopa, with first pitch set for 4 p.m.

The Loggers are 5-1 in the Big 5 and have a bye in league this coming week, while the Hoopa girls are 4-0 in the Little 4 and riding an 11-game winning streak.

In league action, meanwhile, two of the Big 5 contenders will meet in a three-game series, which gets under way on Wednesday.

League leaders Del Norte (3-0 in the Big 5) will play at McKinleyville (4-2) to open the series, with the the two schools also playing a doubleheader in Crescent City next Saturday.

The Arcata Tigers (0-3) and Fortuna Huskies (0-6) are also scheduled to play a three-game series this coming week, with the action getting under way at Fortuna on Wednesday.

In the Little 3, the Warriors will try to keep their unbeaten run going when they play a pair of games at Ferndale (0-4 in league) on Thursday, while St. Bernard’s (2-2 in league) plays a non-league doubleheader at Trinity next Saturday.