The Arcata Tigers fully expect to be in contention for this year’s Big 5 championship in softball, and their early-season success suggests that could very well be the case.
Over the weekend, the Arcata girls traveled to compete in the Trinity tournament and made it all the way to the championship game, going 4-1 over the two days.
And more impressively, three of their four wins were shutouts.
The Tigers opened with victories over Plumas Charter (15-0) and Weed (10-0) on Friday, and followed that with victories over Trinity (6-0) and Etna (6-5) on Saturday, before falling to Durham in the championship game by a score of 9-2 later in the day.
The Tigers were clutch against Etna, securing he victory in the final inning.
“Our team is dialed in and looking for some big success this season,” head coach Jason Miller said. “The team shows up every day for each other and they are all wanting it. The work is all there, now we just have to go perform.”
Several of the Arcata players enjoyed big weekends, including Peyton Miller and Abigail Tyner, who each have started the new season well at the plate.
Peyton Miller finished the weekend 7-for-11 with five RBIs and also walked three times, while Tyner went 7-for-15 with 10 RBIs and provided the offensive highlight of the weekend with a grand slam.
As a team, the Tigers racked up 45 base hits — an average of nine a game — and 25 RBIs.
They also outscored their five opponents by a combined 39-14.
Josie Cunningham, Alli Mitchell and freshmen Lily D’usseau and Tucker Houston each also had some big hits over the weekend.
Sophomore Sophia Spetzler also impressed for the team in the circle, pitching four games and posting three wins, including two shutouts and a no-hitter against Trinity.
Riley Houston showcased the team’s depth in the circle and threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout against Weed.
“All in all, it was a great weekend to get our season into gear,” said Jason Miller, whose team is now 4-2.
The Tigers will try to keep their fast start going when they make the short trip to play St. Bernard’s on Tuesday.
First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
