Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

The Panthers completed a perfect run through the opening half of conference play in baseball with a doubleheader sweep at Arcata on Saturday.

McKinleyville took game one 9-3 and followed that with a 6-2 win in game two to go to 6-0 in the Big 5 and 15-1 overall.

And while the Eureka Loggers kept the pressure on the conference leaders with two wins over Del Norte on Saturday, the Panthers are in the driver’s seat in the race for this year’s championship at the halfway stage.

“We played good enough to win today,” said McKinleyville head coach Mike Dobrec, whose team has won eight straight and has not lost since March 18. “Arcata gave us some stuff on some errors, but for the most part we played well.”

The two losses drop the Tigers to 1-5 in the Big 5 and 6-12 on the season.

“I just thought we competed,” Arcata head coach Troy Ghisetti said. “We had some opportunities, but McKinleyville is so good. They only had one or two errors, and when we gave them opportunities they were able to step up and they took advantage of it, and defensively they were amazing.”

Tate Saso had a good day for the visitors, finishing with a pair of hits in each game, including a three-run home run in the opener, as well as pitching a complete game for the victory on the mound in game two.

Saso finished 2-for-4 with the home run and three RBIs in the opener and was 2-for-3 with a double in game two.

He also pitched all seven innings in game two, allowing just three hits and striking out seven.

Joe Tanno got the start in game one and threw three innings, giving up two runs and striking out two, with Hunter Carper and Bode Reininger each also impressing in relief.

Carper threw three innings of one-hit ball and struck out four, with Reininger closing out the game and striking out one in one inning.

Reininger also had four hits on the day.

He finished 2-for-3 with a double in the opener, while teammate Blake Santos was 2-for-3, Pat Wilson was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and Jake Brunner had an RBI.

Reininger was 2-for-4 with two RBIs in game two, while Rhythm Green finished 2-for-4, Brunner was 1-for-4 and Tanno added an RBI.

James Fike also had a big two-RBI hit in game two to stretch the Panthers’ advantage to 6-2.

“Different people are stepping up for us on different days, and that’s what I like,” Dobrec said. “They are team wins. Everybody’s getting involved.”

The Tigers also enjoyed some strong pitching, with brothers Tanner and Rylan Kees both impressing on the mound.

Rylan, a freshman, got the start in game one and struck out five in a complete game with no walks, while Tanner, a senior, took the hill for game two and threw six strong innings with two strikeouts.

“I thought that Rylan Kees did very, very well,” Ghisetti said. “He’s doing a really good job for us on the mound, and he kept us in the game.

“Tanner Kees and Rylan Kees did a very good job on the mound and gave us an opportunity.”

Tanner Kees also hit a home run in game one, finishing 2-for-4, while teammate Emilio Medina was 3-for-4 with a double.

Tanner Kees added another base hit in game two, one of three for his team, with teammates Joe Wellick and Colton Coyne each finishing 1-for-3.

Medina also threw one scoreless and hitless inning in relief.