Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Del Norte’s Tsinte Steinruck and her teammates will welcome Hoopa to Crescent City for a Friday night NCS quarterfinal.

By Ray Hamill — The North Coast Section baseball and softball playoffs continue for nine of the 18 H-DNL teams this weekend, including five that will host games.

The biggest matchup of the weekend will take place in Fremont on Friday night, as the South Fork Cubs play for a third NCS softball title in just four seasons.

The Cubs, who won back-to-back section titles in 2018 and 2019, will play the California School for the Deaf in the Division-6 decider at 5 p.m.

Head coach Lisa Todd continues to work her magic with the program after returning as head coach this spring.

And reaching a championship game is a notable achievement for a school that didn’t even field a team last spring.

South Fork is seeded No. 2 in the bracket, while No. 1 CSD is 17-4 on the season.

Also on Friday night, there will be an all-local matchup in the Division-4 softball tournament, when the Del Norte girls welcome Hoopa to Crescent City.

The Del Norte girls, who won this year’s Big 5 and Charles Lakin tournament, had an opening-round bye in the NCS playoffs, while the Hoopa girls beat Swett 11-5 in their playoff opener on Wednesday.

Del Norte is seeded No. 2 in the bracket, while Hoopa is No. 7.

The No. 4 Fortuna girls will also play in the bracket quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. when they entertain No. 5 Piedmont.

Both of those teams had opening-round byes.

The Hoopa players and coaches celebrate their playoff win on Wednesday.

Photo by Phoebe Becker – The South Fork boys will host Point Arena in a Division-6 semifinal on Saturday.

Rounding out the H-DNL teams still playing in the section softball playoffs, the St. Bernard’s girls will travel to play St. Vincent de Paul in the Division-5 quarterfinals on Friday night, also at 5 p.m.

The No. 6 Crusaders beat The Bay School 14-4 in their playoff opener on Wednesday.

St. Vincent de Paul is seeded No. 3.

In NCS baseball, meanwhile, four H-DNL teams remain in the chase for a section title, including two in the Division-6 bracket.

Top-seeded Ferndale will host No. 4 San Francisco Waldorf in the D-6 semifinals on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in what will be the Cats’ playoff opener, after they had an opening-round bye.

The No. 2 seeded South Fork boys won their playoff opener on Wednesday, beating Victory Christian 11-1 to set up a semifinal showdown against No. 3 Point Arena in Miranda on Saturday at 1 p.m.

If the two Little 4 rivals win on Saturday, they will play each other in the championship game on Wednesday.

The McKinleyville boys will play their playoff opener on Saturday.

As long as one of those two schools win, the NCS final will be played here on the North Coast.

In Division-4 baseball, meanwhile, the Big 5 champion McKinleyville Panthers will open their playoffs on Saturday at home against St. Helena at noon.

The Panthers, who are seeking to become the first H-DNL team to win a conference championship, a Charles Lakin tournament and an NCS crown in the same season, are seeded No. 3 in the bracket while St. Helena is No. 6.

And rounding out the local contingent of teams still in the chase for an NCS baseball championship, the St. Bernard’s boys will play at Head-Royce in Oakland in Division 5 action on Friday night at 5 p.m.

The Crusaders are the No. 7 seeds, while Head-Royce is No. 2.

St. Bernard’s defeated Technology 6-4 in Tuesday’s playoff opener, while Head-Royce defeated Cloverdale 13-0.

St. Bernard’s will play at Head-Royce on Friday night.