Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action from Tuesday’s non-conference game at McKinleyville.

By Ray Hamill — A busy and pivotal few days for H-DNL baseball and softball got under way on Tuesday with three local games.

In baseball, the St. Bernard’s Crusaders clinched the Little 4 championship outright with an 8-1 win at Hoopa, while the Ferndale Wildcats closed out conference play with a 94 win over South Fork.

The L4 baseball schedule closes out on Thursday, when Hoopa travels to St. Bernard’s and South Fork plays at Ferndale.

Both games are set for 4 p.m.

Also on Tuesday, the Panthers welcomed the Hoopa Warriors to McKinleyville High for a non-conference softball game, which the home team won 11-1 in five innings.

That will give the Panthers some momentum when they head to Arcata to close out their Big 5 campaign in a big matchup with plenty on the line on Wednesday afternoon.

Both teams are currently tied for third in the conference standings, and the winner of Wednesday’s game will secure the conference’s third and final berth for next week’s H-DNL postseason Charles Lakin tournament.

There are three other Big 5 games on tap on Wednesday, with plenty on the line in all three.

Both Del Norte teams will head to Eureka for 4 p.m. games just four days after they both secured a co-championship with wins over McKinleyville.

The two Del Norte teams can clinch their championships outright with wins over the Loggers.

The Del Norte baseball team in particular will have its hands full going against a surging Eureka team that swept a non-conference doubleheader against Red Bluff on Monday, winning 13-10 and 8-7.

The Loggers will also have something to play for other than pride.

A win for the Eureka boys could see them tie McKinleyville for second in the Big 5.

The Panthers remain in contention for a share of the Big 5 title, which would be their second straight, providing they get the better of the Tigers in Arcata on Wednesday afternoon and the Loggers do them a favor with a win over Del Norte.

In softball, the Del Norte girls can clinch their title outright with a win over the Eureka girls, who will be eager to close out conference play with a victory and avoid going winless in this year’s Big 5.

All four of Wednesday’s Big 5 are set for 4 p.m.

If there is a tie for the Big 5 championship in either baseball or softball, a playoff game will be held later in the week (Friday at 4 p.m.) to determine which school receives the league’s automatic bid for the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs.

The host school would be decided by a coin flip.

However in the event of a tie, seeds for next week’s Charles Lakin tournament will be determined by head-to-head records in conference play, and if still tied them a coin flip.