Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Hunter Carper

By Ray Hamill — There are a lot of things to admire about how the McKinleyville Panthers are playing baseball this season, and many of them were on full display on Saturday.

Just three days after losing an important showdown against Del Norte, a defeat that cost them a chance to go top of the Big 5 standings, the Panthers bounced back with a doubleheader sweep over their neighbors and biggest rivals, Arcata, winning 9-3 in game one and 10-0 in six innings in game two.

And they succeeded with some necessary senior leadership, the most dangerous lineup in the H-DNL, and two young pitchers who paint a bright future for the program.

Sophomores Joe Tanno and Hunter Carper both impressed on their way to wins on the mound, with the latter throwing a complete-game two-hitter as he continues to play like one of the most complete players in the entire H-DNL right now, despite his youth.

“Tanno and Hunter both threw great today,” McKinleyville head coach Mike Dobrec said. “They’re hitting their spots, and it’s impressive to have two sophomores to go out there and do that.”

Tanno threw six innings and gave up just five hits and one walk while striking out six.

Carper was even more effective, pitching a complete game and striking out four.

And remarkably he did it with just 62 pitches, barely more than 10 an inning.

Carper also had a base hit and an RBI in each game.

And for good measure, freshman Tate Saso pitched the final inning of game one to secure a victory the Panthers needed after Wednesday’s loss if they want to successfully defend the conference championship they won a year ago.

The two wins lifted the Panthers to 5-1 in the Big 5 (14-3 overall) and with the conference-leading Del Norte Warriors splitting a doubleheader against Eureka, the McKinleyville boys can tie for the Big 5 lead if they win their game in hand.

“I thought they were two good team wins,” Dobrec added. “Our pitching was solid and we played defense behind them and had timely hits.”

The young pitchers got plenty of help from the most loaded lineup in the H-DNL right now, and a lineup that has no weaknesses.

Seniors Jackson Kelly, Kolbey Stolpe and Bryce Sargent each had a pair of hits in game one, with the latter two also driving in two runs apiece.

Another sophomore, Bode Reininger added a base hit to round out an eight-hit team performance, while Pat Wilson also had an RBI.

Tanner Kees and Ben Lukens each led the Tigers offensively in the opener with a pair of hits, including a double by Lukens, while Emilio Medina also had a double.

“I thought we competed,” Arcata head coach Troy Ghisetti said. “McKinleyville is loaded and every time we had a miscue they took advantage of it.

“They are loaded one through nine and they did a great job. They made some errors, but their hitting is good enough to capitalize and they don’t have a problem with that.

“They did an excellent job and competed very nicely.”

Lukens took the loss on the mound, giving up five walks in five innings and striking out five.

It was the Arcata ace’s first loss of the season.

Finn Warner, Liam Gorona, Gavin Anderson and Charlie Mager each also had a hit in the loss.

AJ Greenway had the Tigers’ only two hits in game two, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, while Kees took the loss on the mound despite a solid performance.

The junior pitcher threw five innings and struck out seven while walking just one.

Wilson provided the offensive highlight of the day with a two-run home run, while Bryce Sargent capped a very good day at the plate by going 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

Riles Egbert added a double, while Saso, Jake Brunner and Joe Forbes each also had a hit, with Saso driving in a run.

Asked whether he believed his team was extra motivated after Wednesday’s loss, Dobrec replied he didn’t think so.

“Playing Arcata itself is enough motivation,” he said.

With the two losses, the Tigers dropped to 2-4 in the Big 5 and 10-7 overall.

Next up, the Tigers will play at Del Norte on Wednesday, while the Panthers will play a non-conference game at Foothill on Wednesday before resuming their conference schedule with a home doubleheader against Fortuna next Saturday.