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It took them a while to get going but the Hoopa Warriors appear to be finding their groove as we head towards the business end of the local high school softball season.
And with a place in this year’s Charles Lakin postseason tournament up for grabs, the Warriors have plenty to play for.
On Monday, they swept a doubleheader against Weed, taking game one 20-0 in five innings and following that with a 14-9 win in game two.
And they won with some strong pitching and plenty of power at the plate.
“My girls showed up and showed out,” head coach Jordan Colegrove-Avery said. “We started putting our bats on the ball and producing runs.”
Junior Monteya Colegrove got the start in the circle in game one and pitched a complete-game two-hitter.
The Hoopa pitcher struck out 13 batters, an impressive tally in a five-inning game.
Sophomore Roxy Colegrove got the win in game two in relief after taking over from Monteya in the second inning.
According to the head coach, both pitchers threw great games on their way to the victories.
And they both got plenty of run support as the Hoopa bats came ready to play, including a 17-run fourth inning of game one on the way to ending it early.
Catcher Kalia Mitchell led the way at the plate and had one of the hot bats for the day.
The junior standout finished the day 6-for-9, including a triple in game one.
Center fielder Angela Hern and third baseman Trisha McCovey each also had big games at the plate and both finished the day 5-for-8, with Hern also hitting a triple in the opener and McCovey hitting two doubles.
“My girls being aggressive on the bases really helped push our lead,” Colegrove-Avery said.
The Hoopa bats racked up an impressive 21 hits in game one with nine different players contributing.
In addition to the big performances from Hern, Mitchell and McCovey, Rikki Lipscomb went 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs, while Kiera Ashley was 3-for-3.
Kiera Maloney, Roxy Colegrove, Monteya Colegrove and Tylie McKinnon each also had two hits, including doubles by Maloney, Roxy Colegrove and Monteya Colegrove.
The Warriors also stole eight bases in that win, including two each by Ashley and Hern.
The Warriors will now turn their attention back to conference play with a big doubleheader at home against St. Bernard’s on Thursday afternoon.
Four games into their 12-game Little 4 schedule, Hoopa is 1-3 and tied with Ferndale for third in the standings.
St. Bernard’s and South Fork (both 3-1) remain in the driver’s seat in the race for the L4 championship for now, but the Warriors and Wildcats are battling for the third and final Lakin tournament spot, at least.
And with three wins in their last six games, Colegrove-Avery believes her players are beginning to peak at the right time.
“I look forward to what these young ladies do in the next few weeks, especially with their progression every day,” the coach said.
Thursday’s doubleheader gets under way at 2 p.m.

Categories: Hoopa Valley, Softball

















