It wasn’t their best performance of the season, but the St. Bernard’s girls managed to pull out a win on Senior day, defeating Ferndale 10-8 on Friday.

The visiting Wildcats rallied with four runs in the top of the seventh inning to cut the gap to just two, but it was as close as they would get.

With the win, the Crusaders improved to 6-0 in the Little 4 (7-5 overall), and have swept all three of their conference opponents at the halfway stage.

“We won, but we didn’t play very well,” St. Bernard’s head coach Alan Borges said. 

Defensively, junior MacKenzie Finck did have a big game, directing her teammates from behind the plate.

“I think she kind of defensively kept us together, and that’s what you want your catcher to do,” Borges said. 

Sophomore Lindsey Davila-Escareno also played well defensively at second base, while laying down a couple of bunts for base hits on offense.

Ally Del Grande pitched the win and made a big contribution at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and four runs.

Finck, and Calissa Stokesberry each also had two hits, with Finck driving in a run and Stokesberry two.

Stokesberry was one of three St. Bernard’s seniors honored before the team’s final home game of the regular season, along with Del Grande and Alyssa Liles.

Emma Wilson and Couteney Goodman each also had a hit in the win.

For Ferndale, Bryleigh Busick and Brianna Rimmey each had three hits and an RBI, with the latter also scoring twice.

Bekah Towles also had a big day, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, while Savannah Leonardo was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

“You’ve got to give Ferndale credit,” Borges said. “They hung right in there and played some pretty good ball.”

Alyssa Watkins took the loss in the circle for the Cats.

The late rally was the second of the game for Ferndale, which narrowed a 5-1 deficit with three runs in the top of the fourth, before the Crusaders pulled away again to lead 10-4 going into the final inning.

The two teams meet again at Ferndale on Tuesday.

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Ray Hamill writes at humboldtsports.com, where you can read lots more about sports in Humboldt County.