File photo – Hunter Carper led the Panthers to victory in game two of Friday’s doubleheader.

An opening-weekend bye in the Big 5 isn’t slowing down the McKinleyville Panthers.

The defending conference champs traveled to Oregon on Friday to play a baseball doubleheader against Eagle Point and swept the day’s action with a pair of one-run victories.

The Panthers took game one 7-6 and followed that with a 2-1 win in game two, improving to 9-1 on the season.

In their first games in almost two weeks, the Mack players came storming out the gates to score six runs in the first inning of the opener.

The Eagles would chip away at the deficit, however, battling back to within one run in the sixth, but the Panthers responded with an insurance run in the top of the seventh for what would prove to be the winning score.

“We came out and our bats were on fire and kind of put it on cruise control,” McKinleyville head coach Mike Dobrec said. “And then we kind of let them back in the game.”

The Panthers, however, dug deep late to secure the win.

Kolbe Stolpe continued to impress at the plate and was 3-for-5 in the win, while Hunter Carper went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.

Joe Tanno got the start on the hill and three six solid innings for the victory, giving up just five hits and striking out four.

Stolpe took over in the seventh and got the save.

Freshman Jake Brunner also impressed for the visitors as he continues to play beyond his years while filling in for injured senior Riles Egbert behind the plate.

Brunner finished 2-for-4 with an RBI in the opener and added a double in game two.

But it was performance on defense that really impressed his coach.

“Jake caught both games and did a great job,” Dobrec said of the young player, who threw out a couple of runners trying to steal.

Senior Joe Forbes also impressed at the plate in game one and was 2-for-2, while Pat Wilson went 1-for-3 with an RBI and another freshman, Tate Saso, was 1-for-1, showcasing the depth of young talent on the roster.

Carper dominated on the mound in game two in what Dobrec described as a “pretty good pitchers’ duel.”

The outstanding sophomore, who has already established himself as one of the top all-around players in the H-DNL, pitched six innings for the win and gave up just two hits, while battling through some adversity late in the game.

He also picked off a runner at third base.

“Hunter was on cruise control,” his coach said. “He threw an awesome game.”

And the Panthers needed that in a game that was decided by the narrowest of margins.

They managed just four hits for the game but made them count.

In addition to Brunner’s double, Stolpe also had a double, while Bryce Sargent and Jackson Kelly each added a base hit and Wilson had an RBI.

Saso pitched one inning in relief for the save.

It wasn’t a perfect day for the defending Big 5 champs, however, and several errors almost cost them the win in the opener.

“It wasn’t the cleanest game defensively, but the kids hung in there and battled and got the win,” Dobrec said. 

The Panthers will continue their road trip with a game at Foothill on Saturday afternoon, as they continue to prepare for their conference opener at Fortuna on Wednesday.