File photo – The Crusaders are now 4-0 in the Little 4.

The St. Bernard’s Crusaders improved to 4-0 in the Little 4 after sweeping a doubleheader at Hoopa on Friday afternoon.

The Crusaders won game one 6-1 and shut out the home team 10-0 in five innings in game two.

A second scheduled conference doubleheader between South Fork and Ferndale in Miranda was postponed until Monday, along with the two schools’ softball games.

The Del Norte boys also were in action at the Hidden Valley tournament and made it two wins in two tournament games with an 8-0 win over a young Mazama team.

At Hoopa, the Crusaders scored five late runs to pull away in game one of their doubleheader.

Tyler Maples led a four-hit team performance and finished 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs, while teammate Luke Brunton went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI and scored two runs.

Tyler Hinrichs also was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run.

The Crusaders continued their aggressive approach on the bases and had 10 stolen bases, including three by Michael Manzi and two each by Brunton and Mateo Reiman.

They also had seven walks in the win.

Manzi got the win on the mound, pitching all seven innings and allowing no earned runs on four hits and a walk and striking out 12.

Junior pitcher Lyle McKinnon continued to impress for the Warriors, who dropped to 0-4 in the Little 4.

McKinnon, who got the start in game one, has been a bright spot for the Hoopa boys and has been one of the most effective pitchers in the conference.

“Lyle pitched his best out there today,” Hoopa head coach Curtis Kane said. “Defense was working hard, it just comes down to having minimal mistakes.”

It was a one-run game going into the sixth inning and McKinnon struck out 10, while allowing just two runs in 5.2 innings.

File photo – Michael Manzi

St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin described McKinnon as “outstanding” in game one.

“Lyle is consistently pitching like one of the top young arms in Humboldt County,” he said.

The Hoopa head coach also had words of praise for Manzi.

“Manzi pitched a great game, with a lot of strikes in the zone,” Kane said. “We need to be consistent at the plate to be competitive.”

No final hitting stats were immediately available for Hoopa.

Game two wasn’t as close, with the visitors scoring eight runs in the top of the first to quickly take control.

Six different Crusaders accounted for seven team hits, including Hinrichs, who capped a good day at the plate by going 2-for-4 with three RBIs and also scoring a run.

Brunton, Manzi, Maples, Dylan Jimenez and TC Rinker each also had a base hit.

Brunton, who is enjoying a good start to the new season, also drove in two runs and got the win on the mound after throwing two innings and allowing one hit while striking out two.

The Crusaders used four pitchers in the win, with Hinrichs, Mateo Gutierrez and Garrett Shanahan each also throwing one inning apiece.

“I was very happy with our pitching staff today,” Tomlin said. “Manzi was dominant in game one and then four pitchers combined to throw a one-hitter in game two.”

St. Bernard’s improved to 6-7-1 overall.

At the Hidden Valley tournament, meanwhile, the Del Norte Warriors continued their impressive recent run as they improved to 6-3-1 on the season.

The Del Norte boys have lost just once in their last eight games and have given up just one run in their last three wins.

Aidan Rice had a big day, getting the win on the mound and finishing 3-for-3 at the plate, while teammate Greyson Frankin went 2-for-3.

Collin Tromble also made some noise at the plate and finished 1-for-1 with three walks, while catcher Hunter Wells did a good job keeping the Mazama base runners in check.

The Warriors will close out tournament play against the host school on Saturday at noon, with ace Preston Daniels scheduled to start on the hill.