Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Branson Dobrec in action for the Eagles at Belotti Field on Tuesday evening.

Former McKinleyville Panther Branson Dobrec pitched a six-inning complete game to lead the Humboldt Eagles 19U team to a 16-6 win over the Southern Humboldt 76ers in local American Legion action at Belotti Field on Tuesday night.

Dobrec, who was a key member of the Panthers’ 2024 conference winning team, was just recently added to the summer roster and he had an immediate impact.

He gave up just three earned runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out three.

Finn Warner and Joseph Forbes-Cappiello led the Eagles at the plate.

Warner finished 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored, while Forbes-Cappiello was 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.

All in all, it was a good team win with numerous players stepping up, as the Eagles improved to 1-1.

“I’m excited about this lineup,” head coach Tommy Gale said. “We have a very talented squad this summer.”

Kolbey Stolpe added a triple in the win, while Aidan Rice had a double.

Dobrec and Cole Zeller each also had a base hit to round out an eight-hit team performance.

Luke Dixon had a big day for the 76ers, finishing 3-for-3 with a double and two runs, while teammate Westin Ayala was 2-for-3 and scored twice.

Parker Prior also had a double in the loss, with Dorjel Johnston, Yoshi Hatch and Mack McGinnis each also finishing with a hit.

Mason Bell got the start on the mound for the 76ers, with Prior and Mariqus Ludd each throwing in relief.

Bell, who will be a sophomore at South Fork next year, carried the impressive form he showed this past spring into the summer season.

“Mason Bell threw a heck of a game,” 76ers head coach Cody Emmons said.

A young 76ers roster matched up well against the more experienced Eagles players for much of the afternoon, but the game got away from them in the bottom of the fifth when the hosts scored seven runs.

“I thought we played a good five innings,” Emmons said. “We had that one inning where we had errors that led to runs.”

Overall, however, the 76ers showed plenty of promise.

“I’m actually really happy with the way we played,” the coach added. “We hit the ball better than we did against the (Wild) Cactus (last week).

“We don’t have overpowering pitching, but we’ve got guys that can throw strikes, and if we can back out pitchers with solid defense I think we’ll do just fine.

“It’s a pretty awesome group of kids and I’m really excited to see how the season goes.”

Next up, the Eagles will travel for four weekend games in Petaluma, one against Yolo Post 177 and three against the always dangerous Petaluma Leghorn Academy.

The 76ers will try to bounce back when they play at the Northern Humboldt Giants tournament this weekend, opening on Friday against Sonoma at 5:30 p.m. at Arcata High School.

Check out Aidan Rice’s double for the Eagles below …