Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action from Friday’s games in Samoa.

The St. Bernard’s Crusaders ended a long wait for a championship in softball with a doubleheader sweep over Hoopa at Samoa on Friday afternoon.

With the two wins, the SB girls improved to 9-1 in conference and moved three wins clear of the chasing pack with two games remaining.

The championship is the first for the program since 2016 and it ended a dominating run for Hoopa, which had won the past four conference titles dating back to 2018.

The home team took game one 11-1 in six innings and followed that with a 6-3 win in game two.

The Crusaders broke open a tight opener with eight runs in the third inning and never looked back.

It was senior day for the Crusaders, but a freshman set the tone in the pitcher’s circle, with Oni Orcutt pitching all 13 innings and posting both wins.

“She did great,” St. Bernard’s head coach Brian Finck said. “She threw strikes and had minimal walks, and for a freshman to go that many innings … She kept the Hoopa hitters off balance.”

Seniors Kiara McGinnis, Aubree Saunderson and Hannah Finck all continued to impress on senior day.

McGinnis had a big triple and had a strong day defensively at first base.

“She did a great job today,” Brian Finck said. “She made some scoops and made some tags. It’s amazing to see the growth of these girls from their freshman year to seniors.”

McGinnis, Saunderson and Hannah Finck are all four-year varsity players, while fellow seniors Presley Orcutt and Carol Guo each also have played a big part in the team’s success.

“They mean everything to the program,” the head coach said of the seniors. “Three have been here since they were freshmen, and they’ve taken their lumps in their younger years playing against Hoopa.”

The Tupua sisters — sophomore Sahara and freshman Kyna — each also impressed in Friday’s doubleheader. 

“They’re fun to watch,” their head coach said. “They’re very explosive. Any errors you have they exploit them.”

Despite the two losses there were some bright spots for the Warriors.

Sophomore Monteya Colegrove set the tone at the plate, especially in game two, and helped keep her team in contention.

“Monteya had an awesome day at the plate,” Hoopa head coach Jordee Colegrove-Avery said. “She worked her spots really well. She worked hard today.”

The Warriors had given themselves a shot at a fifth straight conference title after splitting an earlier doubleheader against St. Benard’s in Hoopa.

But Friday belonged to the new champs.

“St. B came out ready to hit and secure that league title completely,” Colegrove-Avery said. “I hope they continue on their streak.”

The Warriors will still advance to the H-DNL Charles Lakin postseason tournament and should also qualify for the North Coast Section playoffs, so there is still plenty to play for.

“Although we didn’t get the win today, these girls still have a lot of fight left in them to finish out the remainder of the season,” Colegrove-Avery said. “They’re a solid group of young ladies. We just have to keep pushing the little wins until this become big wins.”

No final game stats were available for either team.