Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
By Ray Hamill — A good season for the Eureka softball team got even better on Friday.
After going winless in 2025, the Eureka girls have enjoyed a much more competitive season this spring, winning six of their 12 Big 5 games.
But in such a competitive Big 5 this year, that wasn’t enough to secure a top-three spot in conference, and it appeared as if the Loggers had missed out on a chance to compete in this year’s HDN postseason Charles Lakin Tournament.
On Friday, however, the league announced that the Del Norte Warriors, who edged the Loggers for third in the Big 5 and the conference’s final Lakin tournament berth, will not be able to play in next week’s tournament.
The Del Norte players are unable to play due to scheduling conflicts “with a required school activity” for the student-athletes, according to the H-DNL.
And that has opened the way for the Eureka girls to take their place.
Last year, as Big 5 champions, the Warriors competed in the tournament without several players due to scheduling conflicts and lost in the semifinals.
The six-team tournament gets under way on Tuesday, along with the six-team Lakin baseball tournament.
The softball tournament will be played at the Arcata Sports Complex.
As the No. 3 seeds from the Big 5, the Loggers open against Hoopa in the tournament’s first game at 5 p.m.
Qualifying for the tournament also could help the Loggers in their bid to make the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs.
Click here for a complete tournament schedule.
