Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Brayden Bermers

A pair of sophomores led the way for the Big 5’s No. 2 seeds in Tuesday’s Charles Lakin Tournament opener, as the Eureka Loggers continued to roll.

The hottest team in the H-DNL stretched its winning streak to eight straight games, including three straight shutouts, beating South Fork 6-0 at the Arcata Ball Park to advance to Thursday’s semifinals.

And two of the team’s younger players played key roles in the win.

Brayden Bermers got the start on the hill and pitched a complete game, holding the Cubs to just three hits and a walk and striking out nine.

Fellow sophomore Scotty Brogan led the way at the plate.

The starting catcher had two of his team’s six hits, finishing 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and two runs.

“It was good to see Scotty Brogan start to swing the bat again. He’s been working hard,” Eureka head coach Tommy Gale said. “He’s a stud. He’s really our captain out there. He’s had to mature quickly and he’s done that.”

Several young players also impressed for the Cubs, with six freshmen and sophomores starting, including a battery of sophomore pitcher Mason Bell and freshman catcher Tyson Mulder.

Bell was outstanding on the mound and kept his team in the game, with just three runs separating the two schools heading into the bottom of the sixth.

The Cubs played strong defense behind their young pitcher, including Mulder, who did not allow any passed balls and threw out two Eureka base runners at second.

The impressive Mulder also led the South Fork offense, finishing 2-for-3, while sophomore Dorje Johnston was 1-for-3 with a walk to round out a three-hit team performance.

Freshman Ryan Tosten also had a good game for the Miranda school, making every play that came his way at shortstop, before pitching the final two-thirds of the final inning with just five pitches.

According to the South Fork coaches, it was the best defensive game the team has played all year, but they just couldn’t get the bats going.

“Very proud of them for battling with such a high level opponent,” assistant coach Jonah Anderson said.

Bermers (1-for-1 with two walks and two runs), Ryder Mitchell (1-for-3), Ty Crawford (1-for-3 with a run) and Matt Pleasant (1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk) each also had a base hit for Eureka, which improved to 19-6.

The Loggers will play Little 4 champion St. Bernard’s in the second of Thursday night’s semifinals at the Arcata Ball Park, with first pitch set for 7 p.m.

The Cubs dropped to 7-17.