Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

Henry Hinrichs returned in style on Saturday, as the St. Bernard’s Crusaders kicked off the North Coast Section playoffs.

The top seeds in the Division-4 bracket hosted No. 9 Pinole Valley and overcame a couple of early deficits on the way to a 5-3 win.

Also in the section baseball playoffs on Saturday, the McKinleyville Panthers saw a memorable season come to end in disappointing fashion.

The top seeds in Division 2 let a late lead slip away as Bishop O’Dowd scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning to win 7-3.

The loss ends a very successful spring for the Panthers, who won both the Big 5 and Charles Lakin Tournament.

At St. Bernard’s, Hinrichs made his presence felt just nine days after suffering a frightening injury in his team’s Lakin semifinal loss to Eureka.

The sophomore standout collided with teammate Luke Brunton in that game and both players were taken to hospital.

But the young standout was back as good as ever on Saturday and had a big game to help St. Bernard’s overcome a shaky start to the afternoon.

And he did so on both sides of the ball, getting a pair of key hits and making multiple big plays at both second base and third base.

“Henry Hinrichs paced the offense with a monster game at the plate,” St. Bernard’s head coach Matt Tomlin said. “And he was just as good on defense.”

Among the highlight plays of the day, Hinrichs made a great diving stop at third base and also combined with his older brother, Tyler Hinrichs, to turn a double play at second base.

At the plate, he was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk an RBI and two runs.

Michael Manzi got the start on the mound and pitched four innings for a no decision.

The senior pitcher gave up two earned ruins on five hits and two walks and struck out seven.

Standout sophomore Saehwan Kwon got the win in relief, as the Crusaders rallied from a 3-2 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Kwon pitched three hitless and scoreless innings, allowing just one walk and striking out two.

The youngster has grown in stature this spring and is playing a pivotal role as a relief pitcher .

“Saehwan was magical out of the bullpen,” Tomlin said.

Another sophomore, Max Collins, also enjoyed a good day for the home team.

Collins finished 1-for-1 with two walks and scored a run, while teammate Braylon Johnson was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Brunton also made his way back on the field after the Lakin tournament injury scare and drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt.

The visitors showed no ill effects from the trip north and came out ready to play, scoring two runs in the top of the first.

The Crusaders would respond immediately and tied the game with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, but the Spartans would quickly retake the lead with another run in the second.

The game remained 3-2 until the fifth.

With the win, the Crusaders improved to 22-4 on the season.

They will host No. 5 seed Newark Memorial in Wednesday’s semifinal at 4:30 p.m.

The Newark Memorial boys, who defeated Del Norte 4-3 in their playoff opener earlier in the week, got the better of Santa Rosa 8-4 in their quarterfinal and are now 16-10.

Bishop O’Dowd 7, McKinleyville 3

A six-run seventh inning by the visiting Dragons, including a grand slam, ended a memorable and successful season for the Panthers at McKinleyville High School on Saturday afternoon.

The home team and top seeds in the Division-2 bracket were closing in on a semifinal appearance before the late surge by the visitors.

That, however, doesn’t take from a campaign that saw the Panthers win a conference and Lakin tournament double championship for the second time in three years.

“We played a good game,” said McKinleyville head coach Mike Dobrec, whose team is this week’s Humboldt Sports Team of the Week. “I’m proud of the kids. It stings when you’re up 3-1 and next thing you’re down four, but it was a heck of a season for these kids. 

“The whole team had a heck of a season. I’m really proud of the kids.”

The Panthers will graduate four seniors from this year’s team — Patrick Wilson, Blake Santos, Ruger Baxter and James Fike  — all of whom played key roles on the path to success.

But with several standout players coming back on a loaded roster, McKinleyville should be every bit as dangerous in 2027.

“I think we’ll be back next year just as strong,” Dobrec said. “But (the loss) definitely stings.

“But I’m proud of the kids. We had a great season. We were 24-3, and if you’d told me that at the beginning of the season, I’d have been happy with that. I am happy with that. We fought hard to the end.”

Two of the players expected back next year had big games on Saturday.

Sophomore Tate Saso, who could very well end up being this year’s Big 5 conference MVP, got the start on the mound and pitched a strong game once again.

Saso threw 6.2 innings and allowed five earned runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out three.

“Tate threw a heck of a game,” Dobrec said. “It was just an unfortunate turn of events (at the end). They’re a good team, and at this point of the game you’ve got to make minimal mistakes.”

Bode Reininger capped off a very impressive junior season with a monster day at the plate, leading the way on offense and finished 4-for-4 with an RBI.

Carper also impressed at the plate and was 2-for-4 with a double, while Jake Brunner finished 1-for-2, Santos was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Joe Tanno was 1-for-4.

With the win, Bishop O’Dowd improved to 18-10.

File photo