Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Isabel Sanchez in action for the Huskies against St. Bernard’s on Tuesday.

By Ray Hamill — The Fortuna Huskies appear ready to challenge the rest of the Big 5 for a conference championship in softball this year.

They continued to build some early-season momentum this week with back-to-back victories over a pair of Little 4 opponents and improved to 5-1 on the season.

On Monday, the Huskies defeated South Fork 16-2 in Fortuna, and they followed that with an 8-1 win over St. Bernard’s in Samoa on Tuesday.

Sophomore Isabel Sanchez has been one of the stories of the season so far and she continued her impressive start to the campaign with big performances in both victories.

On Tuesday, Sanchez pitched a complete-game four-hitter to lead her team to the win, allowing just two walks and striking out 14.

And she got plenty of help from her offense, with seven different Fortuna players combining for 10 hits.

Myra Hayes, Olivia Hayes and Hailey Thompson led the way with two singles each.

St Bernard’s only run of the day came in the sixth inning on back-to-back doubles by Makinsey Lemley and Aubree Saunderson.

Hannah Finck and Bailee White each also had a base hit for the home team.

The Crusaders played well defensively and denied the Huskies with several big plays and some nice catches in the outfield on well-hit deep balls.

On Monday, the Huskies looked sharp from the start with some dominating pitching and plenty of offense in the opening inning.

The Fortuna bats racked up 11 runs on 10 early hits to quickly take control, including doubles by Mariah Bravo, Kadence Mace and Faith Helms

At the plate, Sanchez was 4-for-4 with four runs and four RBIs, while Bravo was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

Mace also impressed and went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Helms was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. 

Harmoni Linares also had a double and an RBI in the win, and Olivia Hayes was 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI.

Sanchez, Bravo and Helms combined in the circle.

Next up, the Huskies will travel to play St. Helena on Thursday before heading to Cloverdale to defend the tournament championship they won last year on Friday and Saturday.

The Crusaders and Cubs, meanwhile, will open conference play on Thursday in a doubleheader against each other at Samoa.