
Photos By Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Mashell Stumpf delivers a pitch during Monday’s win over the Hoopa Warriors.
By Ray Hamill — Freshman Liana Stumpf did something no other player has managed in six weeks on Monday, driving in a winning run against the Hoopa Warriors.
Playing a non-league game at McKinleyville, Stump led a late rally to lift the Panthers to a 3-2 win in eight innings and end the visitors’ impressive 18-game winning streak.
Stumpf hit a one-out base hit to score teammate Trinity Preston from second base for the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Stumpf, who finished 2-for-4, also drove in the tying run with a two-out RBI-hit in the sixth.
Her older sister Mashell Stumpf got the win in the circle with another strong performance against an in-form Hoopa lineup that has been hitting the ball well recently.
After Mack senior middle infielders Preston and Camryn Pinard combined on a double play to end a Hoopa scoring threat in the top of the eighth, the home team quickly ended the game in the bottom half of the inning.
Preston led off with a walk and was advanced to second moments later on a Kennedy Minton single, before scoring the decisive run on Liana Stumpf’s clutch game-winning hit.
Minton finished 2-for-4 and drove in the Panthers’ first run of the game, while teammate Taya Gomes was 1-for-3 with a double and Rebecca Barnett was 1-for-3.
Nae-Rew Martin, Bella Valentine, Tatianna Colegrove, Diamond Bibancos, Jewely Bibancos, Millenia McKindley and Raina Bain each had a hit for the Warriors, who had not lost since dropping their opening two games of the season against Fortuna.
Colegrove took the loss in the circle despite another strong performance.
Just four days after holding the Eureka bats in check, Colegrove finished with 15 strikeouts.
The win lifts the Panthers to 11-9 on the season, while the Warriors drop to 18-3.
Categories: Hoopa Valley, McKinleyville, Softball