Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Cade Renner in action for Ferndale on Tuesday.

A par of sophomores led the way on Tuesday as the Ferndale Wildcats got their first conference win.

The Cats hosted Hoopa and appeared to be cruising towards a big win after opening up a nine-run lead.

However, the visiting Warriors would make for an interesting finish after scoring six late runs, before eventually falling 9-6.

With the win, the Cats improved to 1-2 in the Little 4 and 9-2 overall, while the Hoopa boys dropped to 0-3 and 4-6.

Sophomores Cade Renner and Cash Mobley both had big games for the home team.

Renner pitched six scoreless innings for the victory on the mound, allowing just four hits and three walks and striking out 12.

“He threw well. I was pleased with his performance,” Ferndale head coach Justin Andersen said. “He seemed to have command.

“Our bats were slow to get going and he made sure it wasn’t an issue for us.”

Fellow sophomore Cash Mobley also impressed in the win.

Mobley, who has been among the most impressive young players in the Little 4 since breaking into the Ferndale team as a freshman last spring, finished 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and two runs.

Junior Luke Dixon also had a big day at the plate and “has been playing consistently well for us,” according to Andersen.

Dixon finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs.

Senior Allen Kane had a good day for the visitors and pitched six solid innings, but the Cats would pull away late, scoring four runs in a big sixth inning to open up a nine-run lead.

“I thought Allen Kane pitched pretty well,” Andersen said of the Hoopa standout, who gave up seven hits in six innings and struck out six. “He kept us off balance for most of the game and he gave them a chance to compete.”

Yet another sophomore, Delmer Ferris, also impressed for the Warriors, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.

The Hoopa catcher had a good day behind the plate, including a big throw to third base to end a scoring threat early in the game.

Tanner Pidgeon added a triple for the Cats, finishing 1-for-4, while teammate Prescott Langer was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run, and Tristen Titus was 1-for-2 with an RBI and two runs.

Westin Ayala (1-for-3 with an RBI), Cade Renner (1-for-4 with an RBI) and Colton Renner (1-for-4 with an RBI) each also had a base hit in the win.

“I think we still need to make some in-game adjustments, but all in all, by the end of the day, offensively we figured it out,” Andersen said.

Among the bright spots for a young Hoopa team, freshman Evan Nicholson made some noise at the plate, finishing 1-for-3 with a walk and a run, and also made some good plays at second base.

Hoopa’s Owen Smith also finished 1-for-2.

“To their credit, they didn’t lay down,” Andersen said of the Warriors.

The two schools will play again at Hoopa on Thursday afternoon.