Luke Brunton came within one hit of a perfect game on Friday, as the St. Bernard’s baseball team continued its unbeaten start to the new season with a 10-0 win over Etna in six innings at the Yreka tournament.

Brunton, the reigning Little 4 MVP, threw a six-inning complete game, as the Crusaders won for the second straight day at Yreka and advanced to Saturday’s tournament championship game.

The senior pitcher allowed just one Etna player to reach base, giving up just one hit and no walks and striking out five.

Also in action on Friday, the South Fork Cubs defeated Middletown 11-9 at the Fort Bragg tournament, improving to 3-4.

No stats were immediately available for the Cubs.

At Yreka, Brunton and the Crusaders improved to 5-0 on the season.

Fellow senior Michael Manzi also had a big game for the Crusaders behind the plate.

“Luke Brunton was brilliant,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said of the senior, who threw only 63 pitches in the six innings. “It was a masterful performance.

“Catcher Michael Manzi called an outstanding game behind the plate. Brunton and Manzi have developed an amazing connection and make a great battery on the field.”

Brunton got plenty of help from his offense, most notably senior Tyler Hinrichs and junior Mason Noel.

Hinrichs finished 3-for-3 and had four stolen bases on his way to scoring a pair of runs, while Noel finished 3-for-3 with a double and four RBIs.

As a team, SB had 11 hits and 11 stolen bases.

Braylon Johnson finished 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI, while Henry Hinrichs was 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and an RBI.

Manzi (1-for-3) also had a hit and three stolen bases to go with an RBI and three runs, while Garrett Shanahan finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.

The Crusaders will play Lassen for the tournament championship on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.