The South Fork girls chose an opportune time to turn in their best performance of the season and left little doubt as to who was the better team in Saturday’s North Coast Section Division-VI championship game.
The Cubs rolled over Laytonville 18-0 in five innings, winning their second straight section championship, and setting a standard for the school that will be difficult to top.
And they did it with a near flawless performance.
“We put the whole season and what we learned into this game,” head coach Lisa Todd said. “Today, we had great defense, we hit well, we had great communication, we ran the bases well, everything just came together.”
That was reflected in the final score, a rout on any day but a particularly noteworthy one for a championship game.
The game was actually close for the opening two innings, but when the Cubs began to pull away they did so quickly, stretching a 1-0 lead with six runs in the third and 10 more in the fourth.
“Our girls kind of loosened up and let the nervousness go,” Todd said. “And we were patient.”
The Cubs also got some outstanding pitching from sophomore Joslin Todd, who has been a consistent for the team all season long, and dominated the Laytonville bats, tossing a two-hitter for the win.
Joslin Todd, who didn’t give up a single walk and had five strikeouts, also had a big day at the plate, finishing 2-for-2.
“Joslin has been on point all year,” the head coach said.
Team captain Regina Saloman also had a big day in her final game with the Cubs, finishing 3-for-3, while two other seniors also went out with a bang.
Jasmine Todd was 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the third inning, setting the tone as the Cubs began to pull away, while Kylie Savio was 1-for-2 with a double.
“This is the team I’ve been waiting to see all year,” Lisa Todd said of the performance. “I think it was an all-around team effort.”
And a fitting way to close out an historic season for this group of players who claimed the school’s second NCS crown in the sport.
Not only did this group achieve something no previous South Fork team has achieved, but they have now done it twice.
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Ray Hamill writes at humboldtsports.com, where you can read lots more about sports in Humboldt County.