The McKinleyville Panthers continued their preparation for the Big 5 schedule with a non-conference win on Tuesday.

The Panthers welcomed South Fork to Mack High and won 9-2.

With the win, they improved to 2-1, while the Cubs dropped to 1-2, with all three of South Fork’s early-season games coming against Big 5 opponents.

Kendall Kercher led the way art the plate for the visitors, as she continued her strong start to the new season.

The South Fork junior went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Junior Mackenzie Coleman also made some noise at the plate for the Cubs, finishing 2-for-3 with a double.

Sophomore Leila Coleman pitched all seven innings for South Fork and struck out seven while walking none.

Makenzie Brewer and Hailey Shepherd each also had a base hit in the loss.

No stats from the game were immediately available for the Panthers.

Next up, the Cubs will travel to compete at the Maxwell Tournament, which gets under way on Friday.

The South Fork girls open against Chester at 11:45 a.m.

McKinleyville will host Lower Lake on Friday afternoon at 3.