Submitted photos – Former Fortuna Husky Kelsie Hall is in her second season playing for the Mendocino College Eagles and was a first-team all-conference selection last spring.

By Ray Hamill — A Hoopa Warriors reunion is in the works in late March, as Mendocino College and College of the Redwoods get set for a new chapter in their softball rivalry.

Four former H-DNL players are enjoying plenty of success with the Eagles this spring, including Hoopa graduates Savannah Colegrove and Tatianna Colegrove.

The standout sisters are playing key roles at Mendocino, along with Fortuna’s Kelsie Hall and McKinleyville graduate Raina Ausburn.

And this spring, they will go head-to-head with several other former H-DNL players playing at CR, including four Hoopa graduates, as the two schools get set to meet in conference play after the Eagles switched to the Golden Valley Conference for 2024.

Savannah, who has missed the past few game through injury but is expected back soon, is in her second season at Mendo and has been a force for the team at the plate.

The 2022 Hoopa graduate, who was named Humboldt Sports Little 4 Female Athlete of the Year as a senior, is batting .368, which is second best on the team.

Younger sister Tatianna, who graduated from Hoopa last year, has been equally impressive.

The freshman is batting .345, which is third best on the team, and also has impressed in the pitcher’s circle, where she is 3-1 in five starts and has a team-best 2.47 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 34 innings.

Hall and Ausburn are also in their second seasons playing for the Ukiah-based community college.

Hall, who was a first-team all-conference selection last spring, also has been making some noise at the plate and is batting .280, while Ausburn, an all-conference second-team selection last spring, is batting .208 and has started four games in the circle, where she is 1-2 with an ERA of 6.72 and 21 strikeouts in 25 innings.

The Eagles, who have split their last three doubleheaders, are 5-7 on the season.

Last weekend, they split two games against Lassen, taking the opener 4-1 and losing game two 8-4.

Former Hoopa Warriors Savannah Colegrove is in her second year with the Eagles and was a second-team all-conference selection in 2023.

Tatianna Colegrove, Hall and Ausburn each hit successfully in the doubleheader, with Tatianna also getting the win in the circle in game one.

The freshman pitcher gave up just two hits in seven innings and struck out 11 while walking one.

She helped her own cause by going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and scoring two runs.

Hall also was 1-for-3 with a stolen base in the win.

Ausburn had a big performance in game two.

The former McKinleyville Panther threw 6.1 innings for a no-decision, allowing just one run on five hits and one walk and struck out five.

Raina Ausburn also was a second-team all-conference selection with the Eagles last year.

She also had a good game at the plate and was 2-for-3 with a double and scored two runs.

Hall and Tatianna Colegrove each also had a hit in the loss, with the latter also driving in a run and scoring.

Next up, the Eagles are scheduled to host Chabot in a doubleheader this Saturday, and they will play Redwoods in a pair of conference doubleheaders later in the spring, including two games at CR on March 27.

That should be a fun showdown for the former H-DNL players, who will face off against some of their former teammates.

Former Hoopa players Nae-rew Martin, Bethany Masten and twin sisters Diamond and Jewely Bibancos-Knight all play for CR.