File photos – Preston Daniels

The Del Norte Warriors are Big 5 champs in baseball for the first time since 2014. Now the question is can they clinch the title outright with a win at Eureka in their final conference game on Wednesday.

On Saturday, the Del Norte boys welcomed McKinleyville to Crescent City for the most anticipated league doubleheader of the spring and they did just enough to claim a share of the championship.

The Warriors, who led the Panthers by a game in the standings coming into the day, took game one behind another outstanding performance by senior pitcher Preston Daniels, winning 5-2.

Game two was a different story, as the visitors kept their championship hopes alive with a comfortable 13-0 in six innings.

With the split, the Warriors are now 9-2 in conference (15-6-1 overall) with one game remaining, while the Panthers are 8-3 and also have one game remaining, at Arcata on Wednesday.

If Del Norte drops its final game and McKinleyville wins, then the championship will be shared and there will be a playoff game between the two schools to decide which gets the conference’s automatic North Coast Section playoff spot and the top seed for the upcoming Charles Lakin tournament.

If the Warriors win on Wednesday, then they will receive the automatic NCS berth and the top tournament seed.

As expected, the Warriors were pumped up for the occasion and an opportunity to end an 11-year wait for a title.

Daniels pitched a complete game and gave up just three or four hits, depending on which scorekeeper you believe, while striking out seven and allowing three walks.

“He was good,” Del Norte head coach Jeff Cook said of the senior team ace, who got out of a late jam after the Panthers scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to make for an interesting finish. “He was rolling. He kept his composure and finished it off.”

It was Daniels’ seventh win in conference this spring.

Aidan Rice led the Warriors at the plate in the win and was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two stolen bases, while teammate Willie Nelson had a big two-RBI hit with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth as the home team extended its advantage to four runs.

Ben Shrewsberry and Saxon Taylor each also had a base hit in the win.

“We got just enough hits to win that one,” Cook said.

Jake Brunner and Joe Forbes each finished 1-for-3 with an RBI for the visitors in game one, while Jackson Kelly and Ruger Baxter each also had a hit.

Joe Tanno threw five solid innings for the Panthers and struck out four while allowing five hits.

Blake Santos and Tate Saso each pitched in relief.

Saso was back on the hill for game two and threw a gem.

File photo – Ben Shrewsberry

File photo

The outstanding freshman pitched a complete game to keep his team’s hopes of a second straight conference championship alive, giving up just four hits and striking out five.

“It was a story of two different games,” McKinleyville head coach Mike Dobrec said. “Daniels was tough as always . You’ve got to tip your hat to him, he was good.”

So too was Saso.

“To go out there and do that as a freshman …” Dobrec said of his young standout, who also had huge game at the plate and finished 3-for-3 with a home run, a triple and an RBI, coming within a double of hitting for the cycle.

“At the plate he was on fire, and he threw great. He threw strikes and let his defense play behind him.”

Kelly and Bryce Sargent each also impressed at the plate in the game-two win.

Sargent was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Kelly was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Bode Reininger added a double for McKinleyville, while Pat Wilson was 1-for-3 with two RBIs, Kolbey Stolpe also had a hit and Riles Egbert had an RBI.

After securing at least a share of the Big 5 crown, the Warriors were unable to carry that momentum into game two.

“I think after that game we kind of lost focus for the second game,” Cook said. “We couldn’t get anything going with the bats.”

Daniels led the way at the plate and finished 2-for-3, while Taylor, Shrewsberry and Greyson Franklin each had a hit.

Shrewsberry took the loss on the mound, with Landon Williams and Taylor each pitching in relief.

Both of Wednesday’s games are set for 4 p.m.