File photo

The Ferndale Wildcats got back to winning ways on the baseball field on Tuesday as they look to keep their Little 4 championship hopes on track.

After dropping their opening two conference games last week, the Cats traveled to Hoopa on Tuesday and ran out to a comfortable 12-4 win.

After a couple of scoreless innings to start the day, the Ferndale bats adjusted the second time through the order and scored in each of the final five innings of the game to gradually pull away.

“The main thing, obviously, is we got the win,” Ferndale head coach Justin Andersen said. “We got back on track. Were’ve still got plenty of work we need to do.”

Prescott Langer got the start on the mound, pitching two strong innings and allowing just one hit and one walk and striking out two.

Jonah Anderson and Parker Prior each also impressed in relief as the Cats improved to 1-2 in the Little 4 and 6-2 overall.

Anderson threw four innings and the got the win, giving up three hits and a pair of walks and striking out six.

The loss was the second in conference play for the home team, which dropped to 1-2 and 6-4.

Both schools, who will play again at Ferndale on Thursday afternoon, are tied with South Fork for second in the conference standing behind unbeaten leaders St. Bernard’s.

Hoopa ace Lyle McKinnon kept the Ferndale bats in check early in Tuesday’s game, but the Cats would grow into the game.

“Lyle did a good job hitting his spots the first time through the lineup,” Andersen said. “The second time was a different story.”

Tanner Pidgeon and Parker Prior led the way for Ferndale at the plate.

Pidgeon finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and scored three runs, while Prior was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and added two runs.

A pair of impressive freshmen also continued to shine for the visitors.

File photo – The Hoopa Warriors

Cash Mobley continued his big first season at the high school level and finished 1-for-2 with a double and two runs, while Cade Renner was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

Ferndale’s Jarrett Smith added a double and was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run, while Anderson was  1-for-4 with an RBI and a run.

McKinnon led the Warriors at the plate and finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, while teammate Brian Richards added a triple and a double and finished 2-for-3 with two runs.

Carlos Anzora, Allen Kane and Joshua White each also had a base hit in the loss, with Anzoras and White each also driving in a run.

Thursday’s game is set for 4 p.m.