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The Cubs got back to winning ways in softball on Wednesday with an opening-round victory in the North Coast Section playoffs.

The No. 4 seeds in the Division-5 bracket hosted No. 13 Kennedy and won 10-3, comfortably getting the better of a school six times the size of South Fork High.

And the South Fork players came ready to play, quickly and decisively putting back-to-back losses to end the H-DNL season behind them.

The Cubs scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning to take control and added two more in the second to lead 6-1.

They continued to add to their lead with three more runs in the fourth and never allowed the Titans settle into the game.

And they did it with a good performance in all aspects of the game.

“We played well today, cut down on errors on defense and focused in the box,” South Fork head coach Lisa Todd said. 

They also enjoyed a solid day in the circle by sophomore Leila Coleman.

The young standout pitched a complete game for the win and allowed just six hits while striking out eight and issuing no walks.

Six different Cubs finished with multiple hits, giving Coleman and her defense plenty of run support.

The always dangerous Hailey Shepherd, who is enjoying an MVP caliber season, finished 3-for-3 and also reached base on a walk, while teammate Kendall Kercher was 3-for-4 with an RBI.

Molly Perkins also made some noise at the plate and finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, while Coleman helped her own cause and was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

Aubrey Young (2-for-4 with an RBI) and Makenzie Brewer (2-for-4) each also had a pair of base hits in the win.

The Cubs committed just two errors on the day, compared to the visitors’ three.

With the win, South Fork improved to 16-9 on the season, as the Little 4 champs look to make a deep playoff run.

The Kennedy girls closed out their season 8-13.

The victory sets up a Section quarterfinal against No. 5 seed Moreau Catholic, a Division-4 school.

That game will take place in Miranda on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

The Mariners are coming off a dominating 14-0 victory over Hercules in their playoff opener and the Hayward school is now 13-12.

A victory for the South Fork girls on Saturday could see them face off against Eureka in next week’s NCS semifinals.