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The South Fork Cubs took a huge step toward a second straight Little 4 championship in softball with a doubleheader sweep over their closest challengers on Friday.

In a pair of games that had been pushed back from Tuesday because of the weather, the Cubs welcomed Hoopa to Miranda with the conference lead on the line.

Both teams came into the day tied atop the L4 standings with identical 5-1 records after splitting a doubleheader at Hoopa earlier in the season, but it was the Cubs who rose to the challenge in their biggest games of the year, winning 11-6 and 13-7.

With the sweep, the Cubs improved to 7-1 in the Little 4 and moved within two wins of securing at least a share of the title with four games remaining.

Last year, head coach Lisa Todd and her players won the program’s first conference title since 1990, and now they’re closing in on a second straight championship.

“I’m proud of how they played today,” Todd said of her players. “We were patient at the plate and defensively they brought a lot of what we have been working on in practice to the game.”

The losses dropped Hoopa to 5-3 in the L4 and 11-7 overall, but they remain second in the standings.

Game one was tied going into the bottom of the fifth inning, but the home team would pull away with five late runs.

Mackenzie Coleman had a big game for South Fork and continued to play a pivotal role for her team, both in the circle and at the plate.

The junior pitcher threw all seven innings, allowing 12 hits and four walks and striking out nine, while also finishing 4-for-4 with three doubles, five RBIs and three runs.

Senior Molly Perkins also enjoyed a monster day at the plate and was 4-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBIs and two runs, as eight South Fork players combined for 16 base hits.

Makenzie Brewer (2-for-4 with a double and three runs) and Hailey Shepherd (2-for-4 with two RBIs) each also had multiple hits in the win, while Calleigh Smith, Kendall Kercher, Leyla Curria and Peyton Cherry each also had a hit.

The Warriors trailed by 6-1 going into the fifth inning, but would rally with five runs to tie things up and give themselves a chance.

“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but let me tell you something about this group of young women, they don’t quit,” Hoopa head coach Ryan Colegrove said. “They didn’t quit today and they won’t quit tomorrow.

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“These young women have shown more heart and toughness this season than most people will in a lifetime. I’ve watched them fight through adversity all season and that doesn’t stop today.”

The Warriors continued to battle in game two, taking a quick four-run lead in the top of the first.

But like they had late in game one, the Cubs would respond to the challenge, scoring 11 runs in the bottom of the first, and they never looked back.

Coleman pitched all seven innings for her second win of the day, allowing 12 hits and three walks and striking out four.

Shepherd had the hot bat in game two, finishing 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, five RBIs and three runs.

Smith also had multiple hits in the win, finishing 2-for-4 with a run, while Perkins and Aubrey Young each added a double, with Young driving in two runs and Perkins one.

Maylea Haskell, Kercher and Cherry rounded out a 10-hit team performance, with Haskell also driving in a run.

No stats were immediately available for Hoopa.

South Fork will try to clinch at least a share of this year’s title when they host St. Bernard’s in a doubleheader on Tuesday, while the Warriors will try to get back to winning ways and keep their slim championship hopes alive when they host Ferndale, also on Tuesday.