Submitted photo – The McKinleyville All-Stars look on during one of their games in Yuba City this week.

A determined McKinleyville Junior League All-Star team came into this week’s Section tournament in Yuba City with one goal in mind, and thus far they’re living up to expectations.

The local District champs posted back-to-back wins in tournament play to advance to Wednesday’s championship round, where they would have to lose twice on the same night to be be denied another Section crown.

On Sunday, McKinleyville opened with an 8-0 win over Quincy, before edging tournament host Westside 6-4 in their second game on Monday.

As the last remaining undefeated team at the tourney, the Mack All-Stars will play either Quincy or Westside again in Wednesday’s championship series and need just one more win to claim the Section title and advance to a fifth straight NorCal state tournament for this group of players.

“Our eyes are on the prize, and that’s a state championship,” manager Jaime Arredondo said. “With this group, there’s no doubt about it. We’re hungry for sure.”

They have certainly looked hungry and determined through their open two games at the tournament despite playing in temperatures that have soared to the mid-90s and are expected to get even higher in the coming days.

But that hasn’t stopped the players from getting in extra batting practice in the hotel parking lot and making a trip to the batting cages on Tuesday.

The team pitching has also played a huge role in the opening two games, and the five pitchers that have seen action have combined to not allow any earned runs so far, including a shutout victory in their opener.

“I think our pitchers are absolutely carrying us through the tournament,” Arredondo said.

Ty Wade and Everett Gruetzmacher combined on the mound for the shutout against Quincy, with Breyden Brock, Hudson Kapko and Carson Hicks all remaining under 35 pitches in Monday’s win.

And that means all five pitchers will be available for Wednesday’s championship showdown.

“We’re in good shape,” Arredondo said.

File photo

Kapko, who is one of the best all-around players in the county, also is enjoying a big tournament at the plate, most notably in Monday’s win.

“He hit the ball really well,” Arredondo said. “He was definitely a big part of our win. I was super impressed with him.”

But he’s far from the only player on the team to impress.

“It was a team win,” the manager added. “We have really good pitching and really good defense, and on the offensive side everybody’s hitting one through 11.”

The only bad news for the team so far is the loss of Brylon Smith, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury.

“He tried to power through it,” Arredondo said of Smith, adding that “We feel he’ll be back stronger than ever next season.”

In the meantime, Smith remains with the team and is lending his support, along with the rest of the McKinleyville Little League community.

“We’re prepared,” Arredondo said. “We have the best moms. It’s not just the three coaches, everybody’s pulling their share for sure.”

Wednesday’s game is set for 5 p.m., with a possible second game to follow immediately if McKinleyville loses.