It was a tough opening weekend for Hoopa Valley in baseball, although the Warriors grew stronger over their three games.

The Hoopa boys, who were playing at the Fort Bragg tournament on Friday and Saturday, were held without a hit in their opening two games, before finding some rhythm early in their final tournament game against Trinity.

The Warriors lost 17-0 to the host team, 11-0 to St. Bernard’s and 16-6 to Trinity.

“Game three was a good step forward,” new head coach John Snell said. “Trinity pulled away late, but we started hitting the ball better. But our lack of pitching depth cost us.”

The Warriors have also been hampered by a lack of outdoor practice time so far this season. 

But Snell was happy with a lot of what he saw from his players in their first competitive outings of the year.

“Our bats started showing signs of promise and our veteran leaders are learning to fight to the finish and lead our younger players,” the head coach said. “We have good potential for growth.”

The Warriors are scheduled to host Trinity in a doubleheader on Wednesday.

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