Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Del Norte Warriors won their Charles Lakin tournament opener on Thursday.

By Ray Hamill — One day after clinching a second straight Big 5 title in softball, the Del Norte Warriors moved within one win of accomplishing goal No. 2 for the season.

On Thursday night, the conference champs took care of business in their Charles Lakin tournament semifinal at the Arcata Sports Complex with an 8-3 win over McKinleyville.

That win sets up a championship showdown against Fortuna on Friday evening, with first pitch set for 5 p.m.

And once again, the Warriors won with some strong pitching and a total team performance, taking control of the game with six runs in the bottom of the third inning.

“It was a pretty good team effort,” head coach Aaron Healy said. “Hitting wise, we got a little help from throughout the whole lineup. Everybody got the job done and pushed runs across the plate.”

The dynamic one-two pitching punch of Shay Nolan and McKenna Curtis also played a key role in the victory.

Nolan, who induces a lot of groundouts and lets her defense take care of business, pitched the first four innings for the win, before the harder throwing Curtis took over and gave the McKinleyville bats a very different challenge.

But as the coach suggested, several players played a role in this victory, as they have for much of the season.

Junior Audrey Phillips had a big game at the plate and finished with a pair of hits to help set the tone on offense.

It’s something the coaches felt was coming.

“We had a feeling in practice that something was going to come alive (for Phillips),” Healy said. “And it did.”

Catcher Carlee Harper also had a huge day on both sides of the plate and on the bases, as she continues to perform at an MVP level for the team.

Few base runners have managed to steal on the junior standout this season, and that’s showing no signs of changing any time soon.

“Carlee Harper did an absolutely amazing job behind the plate,” Healy said. “And when she gets on base she causes problems for opposing teams.”

When it comes to the postseason awards, Harper should be a contender for Big 5 MVP.

“She’s having a phenomenal year,” Healy added.

Another player who had a big game on Thursday is senior outfielder Madison Calleja.

One of two team captains, Calleja took over in the outfield for injured starter Reece White in Wednesday’s league finales and she has stepped into the role seamlessly while showcasing the depth of this year’s Del Norte roster.

“She’s been doing her job,” the coach said of the senior. 

After giving up six runs in the third, the Panthers quickly responded with three runs of their own in the top of the fourth, but that was as close as they would get and the Warriors would add an insurance run in each of the fourth and fifth innings.

Five different McKinleyville players — Liana Stumpf, McKennah Sargent, Mashell Stumpf, Callyn McCullough and Liz Mengel — each had one hit in the loss.

Sargent took the loss in the circle, pitching all six innings and allowing eight hits and two walks and striking out three.