Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
Del Norte junior Natasha DeNicholas hit a first-pitch solo home in extra innings for what would be the winning run, as the Warriors edged the Tigers 7-5 in eight innings in an exciting Big 5 showdown at Arcata High on Wednesday.
The game was another example of why this year’s Big 5 has been so competitive, as the Tigers showed a lot of fight and the Warriors showed the sort of resiliency that makes them three-time defending conference champs.
The visitors scored four runs in the top of the second to open up a 5-1 lead, but the Tigers would come storming back late, with four unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh to force the extra inning.
The home team had an opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the seventh, but stranded the winning run at third.
“We made it exciting,” Del Norte head coach Aaron Healy said with a chuckle. “Arcata did their job. Right now, there are no slouches as far as hitting is concerned in our league.”
The victory keeps the Warriors well in contention for a fourth straight league title in what is shaping up to be a very exciting finish to conference play.
With Eureka edging Fortuna 2-1 in the other Big 5 game on Wednesday, four of the five conference teams now have either four or five wins as we head into the final two weeks of the regular season.
With Wednesday’s win, which was their third straight in the Big 5, the Del Norte girls improved to 5-3 in conference (12-6 overall), while Arcata dropped to 0-7 (6-10 overall).
McKinleyville, which had a midweek bye in conference play, leads the standings with a record of 5-1, while Fortuna is 4-3 and a much-improved Eureka team is now 4-4 and also remains well in contention.
The Tigers refused to go down easily on Wednesday.
“The girls battled hard today,” Arcata head coach Jason Miller said. “Defensively we made very minimal mistakes and it kept us in it.”
In addition to DeNicholas’ big home run, Giana Antonetti and Bella Arriolo each also had two hits in the win.
Sophomore Addi Whitford got the victory in the circle while striking out nine.
The Tigers had eight hits on the day and were led by Alli Mitchell and Peyton Miller, who each went 2-for-4.
Both of Miller’s hits were doubles and she also had two RBIs and scored a run, while Mitchell also reached base on a walk and scored twice.
Lily D’usseau added a double and an RBI for the home team, while Abby Tyner, Josie Cunningham and Kirra Wiley each had a base hit to round out an eight-hit team performance.
Cunningham and Nallia Meyer each also had an RBI.
Sophomore Sophia Spetzler pitched seven solid innings for Arcata, allowing seven hits and two walks and striking out two.
“Sophia did a great job getting us ground balls and pop-ups, and our defense did exactly what we’ve been practicing to do,” Jason Miller said.
“We had a chance to steal the game in the last inning and the ball just didn’t roll our way. We had good energy today and the team knows we are in every single game.”
The Warriors also had some good moments defensively, including a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
Freshman shortstop Josephine Antonetti had a good game for the visitors as she continues to find her feet at the varsity level and showcase a ton of promise.
“My freshman shortstop, she took another step forward and had one of her best games,” Healy said.
After graduating six senior starters from last year’s championship team, this year has been a season of adjustment for the defending Big 5 champs.
But the Del Norte girls are coming together nicely and grinding out wins to put themselves in contention for this year’s conference crown.
“They’re a fun group of kids,” Healy said. “They keep battling and they’re learning from their mistakes 75 percent of the time, but we’re still making some mistakes we shouldn’t be making.”
With single games against Fortuna and Eureka and a doubleheader against McKinleyville to close out conference play, the Warriors hold their fate in their own hands, but it won’t be an easy finish.
“There are no easy games for anybody in our league as far as I’m concerned,” Healy said.
