Baseball is a crazy, beautiful, devastating and triumphant game. Sometimes, all in the span of a week. It’s a game of failure, where hitters can be successful if they get a hit three out of 10 times. And if you can win just over half of your meaningful games, you are in a great spot as a team. The Humboldt Crabs have settled into this summer with a little bit of all these variables and find themselves in a very good position after two grueling weeks. After a perfect start at home, our boys of summer took to the road to start conference play, facing two of the toughest teams the Pacific Empire League. Adversity would be there to meet them.
They’d start their road trip with a loss to the Healdsburg Prune Packers 11-6. Keenan Morris, who has been the absolute catalyst to this lineup would have yet another multi-hit game, while also drawing a walk and swiping his eighth base of the summer. Cameron Sewell, who has been one of the most solid contributors for the Crabs this summer, would hit his second homerun, while driving in two for the good guys, but it wouldn’t prove to be enough. Don’t worry, there will be more to come from Sewell.
Two RBIs from Tyler Howard and Adam Enyart paced the Crabbies in game two. Sewell would add another three hits and an RBI to lead the attack offensively. Kayden Kohlberg added four and 1/3 innings of nearly flawless relief. He’d strike out three to pick up his first win of the summer, and the Crabs evened the series at one a piece.
The pendulum that is baseball would swing things back the Packers way in the finale of the series. Despite multi-hit games from Jacob Pappas, Cameron Sewell, Adam Enyart and Tyler Howard, the Crabs were unable to connect the dots. That’s multi-hit games from your 2-5 hitters that produced … a single run. None of that was enough to combat the deficit they faced early on, as the Crabs gave up 10 runs in the first four innings. Healdsburg would take the series and roll to a 10-5 victory.
On June 20, after getting punched in the mouth for the first time this summer, our Crabbies would respond. Myles Standish would lead a trio of some of the Crab’s best arms to mount a stand to recapture the early momentum the boys had attained to start the summer. The local lefty was tremendous yet again, showing competitiveness in a big game, giving up two runs over six solid frames while striking out six before handing the ball to Max Hippensteel. Hippensteel, last season’s NCJ Reliever of the Year, would throw two nearly flawless innings, giving up one hit, while striking out four. He’d pass the baton to two-way standout Adam Enyart, who would give up one run over three frames to lock up his team leading fourth win of the summer.
“Ya, that combo is pretty electric. Watching those guys out in front of me, it makes me want go get it done for them,” said Enyart. Offensively, the crabs would capitalize on three big errors from the Potters, and Timmy “Timmmaaayy” Reed would contribute a multi-hit game while driving in what would prove to be the game winner. Good guys win in extra innings, 5-3. Reed would stay hot with his first homerun of the season the following night, but nine walks from the pitching staff would make way for the Potters to grab a win to even the series.
Bus rides home can go two ways: You either get the W and the boys are playing cards and tossing jokes, or you lose and it’s pretty quiet. It can be a long road home sometimes. The Crabs only have two road trips this season, so the vibe can change everything. This Sunday, the Crabs came out swinging and had a chip on their shoulders. Tate Medicoff had his first homerun of the summer and three walks to reach base four times, driving in twp. Kennan Morris would continue to light the torch as he has all season at the top of the lineup adding two hits and two walks, reaching base four times and scoring four runs. The kid gets it done and fills the stat sheet. I pray he doesn’t cut his hair. Cameron Sewell reached base five times and drove in two. And wait … there he is again: Adam Enyart would put the nail in the Potter’s coffin with three hits and four more runs driven in. Max Hippensteel earned the save in dominant fashion, with eight strikeouts, one hit, no walks, no runs over three innings. Crabs roll 14-5.
In their return home on Tuesday, the Crabs took on the Chico Lone Wolves in a bridge series non-conference game. Starter Miles Oliver was solid. The lefty would get himself into and out of trouble as he has done in most of his starts this summer, and throw five scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while striking out four. Tyler Howard led the way offensively, with a multi-hit game, hitting his first homerun of the summer, driving in three. Crabs win 10-1.
The next night Brock Lenhardt would throw four scoreless innings to pick up his first win of the summer. Cameron Sewell would get two more hits, and Adam Enyart would drive in two. Sutter Moss, who has had some big hits this summer, added a multi-hit effort with three RBIs. Crabbies win 6-4.
On Friday, conference play returned and the air felt different, as conference rivals the Lincoln Potters arrived in town. The Crabs would send out their ace Myles Standish to the mound. The lefty was dominant, as he has been all season. He threw strikes and got ahead of hitters. He pitched backwards, starting hitters with breaking pitches. He got every big out he needed, while responding with zeros on his end after innings where the Crabs would score. Overall, Standish hasn’t given up more than two runs in any outing this season. He is 3-0 in five starts, and has pitched well enough to win in all five. This was his longest start of the season, and he’d go seven strong with eight strike outs.
Offensively, it was the usual suspects for the Crabs. Keenan Morris getting on, getting over and getting in. He’d have two hits, two RBIs, two runs and his 13th stolen base of the summer. Cameron Sewell hit his third homerun and drove in four. Adam Enyart had another three hits and three RBIs. The Crabs were cruising 11-2, until the eighth. The Potters would make things interesting putting up seven, aided by walks and errors from the Crabs, to close the gap. Ultimately, the Crabbies would turn again to Max Hippensteel to close things out and he would, locking up his third save of the summer.
The two teams put up a lot of runs against each other until Saturday night. The contest saw a lot of zeros on the board and the Crabs were trailing 1-0 in the fourth. Guess who? When you are hot, the game will find you. Cameron Sewell would come to the plate and hit one of the farthest balls I’ve ever seen hit at Arcata Ballpark. It was a majestic blast off Arcata City Hall for his fourth homerun of the year, and the game was tied. The Potters would jump back on top in the fifth. In the Crabs’ eighth, a Keenan Morris single would lead to a another appearance from Sewell. With two outs, Sewell would come through yet again with a single to drive in Morris.
Like I said, the usual suspects. “He’s a stud, isn’t he? Plus, he’s just a baseball guy … ya know?” said head coach Robin Guiver. “The other guys feed off it.”
On the other side of the coin, the Crabs were blessed with an outstanding relief outing from Kayden Kohlberg. The flamethrower has been hit or miss at times this summer, but on Saturday night, he was the former. He threw five shutout innings with seven strikeouts, keeping the momentum on the Crabs’ side. In extra innings, Michael Perazzo would be the walk-off hero with a great at bat to single in the defining run. Crabs win! Crabs win 3-2. And Perazzo got doused in Gatorade.
Sunday, well, Sunday was a buzz kill. After a bunch of big wins, a long road trip, a walk off the night before, Keenan Morris had another two hits. But it was the lone bright spot, as the Crabs got smashed 14-1.
Overall, our boys are 19-4 and one game back in the conference. They’ve shown resilience and have found out how to win in a bunch of different ways. They will be back in action Tuesday against the Marysville Giants, for a two-game set. Then it’s back into conference play for a weekend series with the Solano Mudcats starting Friday night.
Notes:
Adam Enyart, who had entered the transfer portal, broke the news to me Friday night that he has decided to take his talents to Sacramento State, joining fellow teammate and Crabs standout Cameron Sewell.
Heckle of the week
To a Lincoln Potters hitter after a strikeout: “My parents were better swingers in the ’70s … I don’t know who my dad is.”
This article appears in The Man Who Unsolved a Murder.
