File photo – The St. Bernard’s Crusaders

Sophomore Michael Manzi had an outstanding day as the St. Bernard’s Crusaders swept a doubleheader at South Fork to remain tied with Ferndale atop the Little 4 standings.

The Crusaders won game one 8-4 and took game two 5-2 to complete a four-game conference sweep over the Miranda school.

With the two wins, the Crusaders improved to 7-1 in the Little 4, with Ferndale also 7-1 after winning two games at Hoopa on Friday.

Luke Brunton got the win for St. Bernard’s on the mound in the opener, allowing four runs and four walks in six innings and striking out five.

Tyler Hinrichs threw one inning in relief to close out the game and allowed no runs on one hit.

Manzi got his big day started by going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs in the opener and also scored three runs.

He also was outstanding behind the plate on defense and threw out three base runners.

Michael Fugate also impressed at the plate and went 3-for-4 while also scoring a pair of runs.

Hinrichs and Carson Costa each also was 2-for-4, with Hinrichs driving in two runs and Costa scoring one.

The game was close and tied 1-1 going into the sixth before the visitors pulled away with four runs in the sixth.

Justin Freitas led the Cubs at the plate and was 2-for-4 with a double and also scored a run, while Makani Buck-Zulim, Wesley Way and Shevy Bero-Van Meter were each 1-for-2, with Buck-Zulim and Bero-Van Meter each also scoring a run.

Freitas pitched a complete game and threw seven strong innings in the loss.

“He kept us in the game by throwing ground balls,” South Fork head coach Chris Contreras said. “Unfortunately we had some errors which St. Bernard’s capitalized on.”

It was a competitive game that could have gone either way.

“It always seems like we are in game till around the sixth inning,” the South Fork coach added. “After that, it turns into disaster or we prevail.

“I’m hoping we can clean that up before playoffs.”

Manzi continued to shine in game two and pitched a complete game for the win, allowing five hits and one walk and striking out 10.

He also finished 2-for-4 at the plate to help key the offense.

Tyler Maples also was 2-for-4 and scored a run, as the Crusaders continued their aggressive approach on the bases and finished with eight stolen bases.

Mateo Gutierrez also made some noise at the plate and was 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI, while freshman Mateo Reiman finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.

“Manzi had a monster day at catcher and hitting in game one before coming back with a brilliant performance to win a pitchers’ duel in game two,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said.

Broc Contreras also impressed on the hill for the Cubs and threw 6.2 innings in the loss.

Chris Pedaris provided the offensive highlight of the game for the home team with a two-run home run.

Broc Contreras also had a big hit and finished 1-for-3 with a triple and a walk, while Trevor Hunt was 2-for-3 with a double.

“I was really pleased with how we were barreling the ball against Manzi,” Chris Contreras said. “He is a great pitcher who really pounds the zone and hits spots. The unfortunate part was we hit balls but right to guys.

“Both St. Bernard’s pitchers pitched well and kept pitch counts down.”

So too did the two South Fork starters.

“I want to compliment Justin Freitas and Broc Contreras, who both pitched outstanding for South Fork,” Tomlin said. “They were both sharp and gave their team a chance to win both games.”

Chris Contreras echoed the sentiment,.

“I was really pleased with how well both Justin and Broc pitched today,” he said. “They kept us in both games by throwing ground balls. Just a little unfortunate we made errors behind them.”

Quentin Ikeya had a “spectacular doubleheader defensively at shortstop,” according to Tomlin, and Brunton had a quality start for the win on the mound in game one, while Fugate also “gave us a spark offensively while playing solid defense in center field.”

“I am super proud of my players and coaches for their performance today,” Tomlin added.

With the losses, the South Fork boys saw their hopes of a league title disappear, but they remain well in the chase for the North Coast Section playoffs.

“I’m hoping we can clean some minor details up heading into the playoffs,” Chris Contreras said. “I really feel we will be a tough team to beat as along as we are all on the same page.”