Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Eureka Loggers will host the Del Norte Warriors on Wednesday.
By Ray Hamill — This week’s series between the Del Norte Warriors and the Eureka Loggers will go a long way towards deciding this year’s Big 5 championship in softball.
The two league frontrunners, who are separated by just one win in the standings, open a three-game series with a single game at Washington Elementary School in Eureka on Wednesday afternoon, with first pitch set for 4 p.m.
They conclude the series with two games in Crescent City on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The Del Norte girls have been perfect in league play this far, sweeping back-to-back series against Fortuna and McKinleyville, and they are now 6-0 in the Big 5.
They secured a key series sweep over the Panthers thanks to an 11-10 win in extra innings on Saturday.
The Loggers, meanwhile, have been almost perfect, having dropped just one of their six league games to McKinleyville a couple of weeks ago.
If the Warriors win this week’s series, it would leave them at least two wins clear at the top of the league standings with one series to go and on the verge of a league championship.
If the Loggers win the series, it could leave both schools deadlocked going into the final week of the regular season.
Next week, the Warriors close out league play with three games against Arcata, while the Loggers will play their final three Big 5 games against Fortuna.
Del Norte is 12-3 overall, while Eureka is 8-4.
Also in action this week, the McKinleyville girls will try to bounce back from a disappointing series against Del Norte when they take on Arcata.
Game one will take place at Arcata on Wednesday at 4 p.m., with a doubleheader at McKinleyville on Saturday.
The Tigers beat Fortuna last week for their first league win and are now 1-5 in the Big 5 (1-12 overall).
The Panthers are 4-5 in league and 9-6 overall, while Fortuna, which has a bye in league play this week, is 2-7 in the Big 5 and 8-7 overall.
The Huskies play a pair of non-league games against Lower Lake and Clear Lake at Mendocino College on Wednesday at 2 and 4 p.m.
