File photo – Mackenzie Coleman

The South Fork Cubs remain well in the chase for a repeat championship in Little 4 softball after sweeping a challenging doubleheader against Ferndale on Tuesday.

The Cubs welcomed the Wildcats to Miranda and won a pair of close and well-played games, 5-4 and 5-3.

With the two wins, the Cubs kept pace atop the conference standings with the Hoopa Warriors, who also swept a competitive doubleheader against St. Bernard’s on Tuesday.

Both South Fork and Hoopa are 5-1 in the Little 4 halfway through the conference schedule.  

Mackenzie Coleman had good day in the circle for South Fork, striking out 10 Ferndale batters in game one and recording both victories.

“It was was two well-played games,” Ferndale head coach Jeremy Griffith said. “Both teams played well.”

The defending conference champs had to fight for the game-one victory, rallying from a three-run deficit.

Seven different South Fork players hit successfully, led by Hannah Savio and Leyla Curria, who each finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run.

Coleman helped her own cause at the plate and finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs, while Calleigh Smith, Mackenzie Brewer, Aubrey Young and Molly Perkins each also had a base hit in the win.

Tinnley Pidgeon homered for the second straight day for the visitors, finishing 2-for-4, while teammate Agabail Gossi was 2-for-3 and also had an RBI.

Makenzie Chambers, Caleigh Griffith and Kara Dinsmore each also was 1-for-3 in the loss, with Chambers and Griffith both driving in a run.

Olivia Gossi took the loss in the circle, allowing just three earned runs and striking out seven in six innings.

South Fork’s Hailey Shepherd led the way at the plate in game two, finishing 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs.

File photo

File photo

For the season, Shepherd is batting a very impressive 0.569.

Young (2-for-3 with two RBIs) and Coleman (2-for-4 with a run) both also had multiple hits in the win, while Smith (1-for-3), Brewer (1-for-4), Perkins (1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs) and Savio (1-for-3) each also hit successfully for the home team.

For Ferndale, the hard-hitting Madison Gossi matched Pidgeon with a home run for the second straight day, finishing 2-for-4, while Chambers capped a good day at the plate by going 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Abagail Gossi (1-for-2), Dinsmore (1-for-3 with an RBI) and Quinn Stokesberry (1-for-4) each also had a base hit for the Cats, who dropped to 9-5 overall.

Olivia Gossi gave up three earned runs in the circle and struck out two in six innings.

“We played well,” Jeremy Griffith said. “I thought both teams played well defensively. The big difference win both games was we had opportunities, we just never got that big hit when we had runners on.”

The Cats stranded 10 runners in game two, including ending the game with the bases loaded.

The Cubs improved to 9-7 overall.

Next up, the South Fork girls are scheduled two play a non-conference doubleheader at Willits on Wednesday, before resuming conference action with a key home doubleheader against Hoopa next Tuesday, while Ferndale will play a doubleheader at St. Bernard’s next Tuesday.