Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

To their credit, the Hoopa girls kept battling and took care of what they had to.

But they would come up just short in their bid for a Little 4 championship in softball on Tuesday.

The Warriors came into the final day of conference play needing to sweep St. Bernard’s at the Bear River Sports Complex and hoping rival Ferndale would do them a favor and sweep a doubleheader against South Fork.

And while the Hoopa girls took care of business, winning 7-4 and 7-3, they saw their title hopes end when South Fork split at Ferndale.

It’s still been an impressive season for the Warriors (9-3 in the Little 4 and 15-7 overall), and they’re not done yet.

After finishing second in the Little 4, Hoopa will receive a No. 2 seed for next week’s Charles Lakin Tournament, before advancing to the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs the following week.

Angela Hern had a big day for Hoopa, as she continues to hit the ball hard.

The senior outfielder finished 1-for-2 with a double in game one, and was 1-for-4 with a triple in game two.

Monteya Colegrove pitched both wins for the visitors, striking out 11 over the two games.

Kalia Mitchell also impressed for Hoopa, finishing 2-for-2 in game one, while teammate Tylie McKinnon was 2-for-4, Tsisna McCovey was 1-for-3 and Kiera Ashley was 1-for-4.

Brittyn Ikea led the Crusaders at the plate in the opener, finishing 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI, while Makinsey Lemley was 1-for-3 with a double and also reached base on a hit by pitch.

Macie Wantt also had a double and an RBI for the home team, while Anna Dorsch (1-for-2 with an RBI) and Chezney Sundquist (1-for-3) each also had a base hit.

Aryanna Osborne took the loss in the circle and struck out four.

In game two, Mitchell, Rikki Lipscomb and Roxy Colegrove each finished 1-for-3 for Hoopa, while Lemley continued to impress for the home team and was 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

“We gave ourselves chances all game long, but Hoopa took advantage of our mistakes,” St. Bernard’s head coach Hailey Wilson said. “Our seniors really stepped up offensively today. Makinsey Lemley came through with a big home run and Anna Dorsch had an outstanding day at the plate.”

Dorsch finished game two 3-for-3, giving her four hits over the two games.

Osborne (2-for-4), Logan Tallman (1-for-4), Sundquist (1-for-4 with an RBI), Wantt (1-for-3) and Teghan Smith (1-for-3) each also hit sucessfully.

Wantt pitched all seven innings in the loss and struck out three.

The Crusaders, however, gave up 19 walks over the two games.

Both teams will be back in action later this week, as they close out the regular season with non-conference games.

Hoopa plays a doubleheader at Trinity on Wednesday, while the Crusaders travel to play Arcata on Friday.

St. Bernard’s closed out the Little 4 0-12 and is 2-17 overall.