Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Tenoch Tapia and the McKinleyville Panthers will play at Del Norte on Wednesday.

By Ray Hamill — The stretch run of the season for Big 5 and Little 4 baseball and softball gets under way this week with several big games on tap.

All four conference titles will be decided over the next three weeks, with all four likely to go down to the final few days of the regular season.

In Big 5 baseball, conference leaders McKinleyville will try to remain atop the standings when the Panthers (5-1) open a three-game series against the Warriors (1-2) in Del Norte on Wednesday afternoon, with the two schools also playing a doubleheader at Mack High on Saturday.

The Arcata boys (0-3), meanwhile, will try to get their first conference win when they open a three-game series at home to Fortuna (2-4) on Wednesday, before both teams also play a doubleheader at Fortuna on Saturday.

The same matchups will also take place in Big 5 softball, where there is a three-way tie atop the standings heading into this week’s action.

McKinleyville (4-2) will play at Del Norte (2-1) on Wednesday afternoon with the conference lead on the line, and the two schools will conclude a key series with a doubleheader at Mack on Saturday.

The Arcata girls (2-1) are also tied for the conference lead and will try to keep their impressive start going when they host Fortuna (3-3) on Wednesday afternoon, before both schools play a doubleheader at Fortuna on Saturday.

The Huskies will be looking to get back to winning ways after dropping both games of a doubleheader at Del Norte 10 days ago.

All of Wednesday’s Big 5 games are set for 4 p.m. and it looks as if the weather should cooperate.

The Eureka Loggers have a bye in conference this week.

The Little 4 schools, meanwhile, will play four doubleheaders on Friday, as the race for both conference championships begins to heat up.

In baseball, St. Bernard’s and Ferndale are both 5-1 in conference halfway through the schedule and deadlocked atop the standings.

If both teams continue to take care of business they will face off in a conference deciding doubleheader at Ferndale in early May.

This week, Ferndale travels to Hoopa (0-6) and St. Bernard’s plays at South Fork (2-4).

In L4 softball, just one win separates St. Bernard’s (5-1) and Hoopa (4-2) at the top of the standings.

The SB girls play at South Fork (2-4), while the Hoopa girls will entertain Ferndale (1-5).

All of Friday’s Little 4 doubleheaders begin at 2 p.m.