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Hard work and resilience paid off for the Hoopa Warriors on Thursday, as the Hoopa boys got their first Little 4 baseball win of the season and ended a six-game losing streak.

The Warriors hosted South Fork and won 13-5, and just as importantly the victory keeps them in contention for next month’s Charles Lakin Tournament.

And they succeeded with some stellar play from some of the younger players on the team, including freshman David Sylvia, who finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs.

“It was a great day for baseball,” Hoopa head coach Boyd Ferris said, “The grind has been real, so getting these boys the victory in league is a great feeling.”

The Cubs, who swept a pair of games against Hoopa earlier in conference play, dropped to 2-5 in the Little 4 (6-12 overall), but they remain third in the standings and well positioned to claim the third and final conference spot for the upcoming Lakin tournament.

But Thursday belonged to the Warriors, with the young Sylvia leading a balanced team performance.

“He played a little bit of everywhere for us,” Ferris said of the versatile freshman. “He had the hot bat today.”

But he was far from the only standout for his team, which improved to 1-6 in the Little 4 and 5-9 overall.

Allen Kane and Barret Myers also played key roles in the win.

Designated hitter Myers finished 2-for-4 at the plate and hit a grand slam and scored three runs, while Kane got the win on the mound.

“Barret Myers just hit an absolute bomb to center field,” Ferris said. “He absolutely crushed it.”

The grand slam stretched what had been a two-run lead to six and the Warriors never looked back.

Kane, who has been leading the way on a young Hoopa team this spring, continued to make an impact and pitched 4.2 strong innings, striking out five.

Kane also finished 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and a run, while Delmer Ferris also impressed and was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run.

According to the Hoopa coach, it was a good team performance.

“It was nice to get that win,” he said. “We’ve had some glimpses in games where we haven’t been able to put everything together, and today things finally came together.”

Another freshman, Axel Tripp, also enjoyed a productive afternoon for Hoopa, finishing 1-for-3 with a run and making an impact in center field.

In the top of the seventh inning, Tripp made a big catch in left field and then threw to second base to compete a game-ending double play.

“Some of our freshmen came through,” Boyd Ferris said. “All the hard work they’ve been putting in is paying off. We still made a few errors. The kids are still learning.”

Evan Nicholson (1-for-1 with two runs) and Brian Richards (1-for-4 with two runs) each also had a base hit in the win, with Richards, Myers and Owen Smith all pitching well in relief.

Smith, a sophomore, closed out the game and helped seal the victory.

No stats were immediately available for the Cubs.

The two schools will face off again in a make-up game on Friday, this time at South Fork.

First pitch is set for 4 p.m.