File photo – Cooper Ohlsen
The Eureka Loggers will carry plenty of momentum into next week’s Charles Lakin tournament as they look to avenge a pair of Big 5 losses to McKinleyville earlier in the season.
The Eureka boys closed out conference play with a doubleheader sweep over Fortuna on Friday, winning game one 11-1 in five innings and taking game two 8-1.
With the victories, which stretched their winning streak to seven straight, the Loggers finished second in the Big 5 with a record of 10-2 and just one win behind champions McKinleyville, which was the only team to beat them in conference play.
Next week, they may get a chance to avenge those losses in tournament play.
“I think we’re catching stride at the right time, going into next week,” Eureka head coach Tommy Gale said. “It should be exciting.”
Friday was a good day for the team’s seniors, especially starters Cooper Ohlsen and Jorge Lopez, who both pitched complete games for the wins.
Ohlsen threw all five innings in game one and gave up just two hits and one walk and struck out seven.
Lopez was equally impressive in game two, allowing no walks in seven innings and striking out five.
But it is the way these two players have conducted themselves all season that has most impressed their coach.
“I left it up to the team to vote for team captains and Cooper and Jorge were two of the four captains voted by the team,” Gale said. “And I think that says it all.
“They lead by example, they’re great student athletes, and the way they carry themselves is how I want everyone on the team to carry themselves. They do things the right way.”
The two starting pitchers were honored on senior day along with the team’s third senior, outfielder Kenji Suzuki.
“The day was really about those guys, and it was a good thing to see them go out and have fun,” Gale added.
They weren’t the only ones to impress in the sweep.
Sophomore Garrett Levitt had a pair of base hits in each game and drove in two runs in the opener, while Ohlsen helped his own cause with a pair of RBIs in that game.
File photo – Jorge Lopez
The in-form Jaydn Payton also drove in two runs in both games, while Michael Jewell had four RBIs in game two and Cole Zeller and Sebastian Standish each had two hits in that win.
The Loggers also had a great day on the bases, stealing 16 bases over the two games.
The Huskies, meanwhile, closed out conference play with a record 4-8 but are guaranteed to advance to the Lakin tournament as the Big 5’s No. 3 seed.
“Eureka’s pitchers were great and had our guys off balance,” Fortuna head coach Max Betts said. “Props to Eureka, they have a great team. Hopefully we can bounce back in the tourney.”
Chandler Crenshaw led the Huskies at the plate in game one and finished 2-for-2, while teammate Hunter Reback was 1-for-3.
Four different Fortuna players finished with a hit in game two, including Ryan Griffith, who was 1-for-3 with a double.
Westin Ayala (1-for-1), Chad Mussey (1-for-3) and Kallen Barrote (1-for-3) each also had a hit.
Both the Loggers and Huskies will open the Charles Lakin tournament at the Arcata Ball Park on Tuesday.
Fortuna plays St. Bernard’s at 4 p.m., while Eureka plays the No. 3 seed from the Little 4 at 7 p.m.
