After a tough loss to end their series with the Lincoln Potters, the Crabs were back in action Tuesday, welcoming the Marysville Giants. Lefty Miles Oliver got that start and would cruise through the first four frames. The two teams traded zeros until the fifth inning, when the Giants would jump out in front 2-0. Marysville tacked on another in the sixth, but in the Crabs’ half of the inning, aided by two errors, two walks and a Cayden Lee double, Humboldt would jump out in front 4-3. The Crabs added an insurance run in the eighth to put the Giants away 5-3. Oliver turned in a solid outing, striking out seven. Brody Jacobs picked up his second win of the summer in relief, and Adam Enyart locked up his first save of the summer.
Wednesday night’s game saw both teams coming out swinging. The Giants scored three runs in the first, but the resilient Crabs would answer right back with three runs of their own. Nolan Hamilton singled to start of the inning. A Tyler Howard hit-by-pitch would bring Cameron Sewell to the plate. Sewell would deliver, smashing a three-run homer, his fifth of the summer. The Crabs added one more in the second inning, but then both teams would be quiet until the sixth, when the Crabs scored four more times to put the Giants in their rearview. Sewell led the way with a multi-hit effort and four runs driven in. Crabs win 10-3.
After a night off, the Crabs would welcome the Solano Mudcats to town to open a three-game conference series. In front of a packed house on the Fourth of July, the Crabs bats would supply plenty of fireworks. Sewell got things started with another home run in the first inning. The Crabs would add three more in the second inning behind Timmy Reed’s second homerun of the season. A Sewell single would be followed by an RBI double from Enyart. Hirschkorn would trade places with Enyart, driving in another run with a double of his own. In the sixth, guess who? Sewell would homer yet again, bringing his total to seven for the summer. Enyart, Hirschkorn and Elijah McNeal all enjoyed multi-hit games.
Starter Myles Standish was solid yet again, giving up one run over five innings. “I didn’t feel like I had my best stuff today, but the guys were swinging at it and I got out of jams when I needed to,” said Standish, who picked up his fourth win of the summer. Crabs win 10-1.
In game two, the Crabs would get off to an early lead and never look back. Hirschkorn led the attack with three more hits and three RBIs. Sewell would enjoy another multi-hit game, and Reed would have two hits of his own. Kayden Kohlberg picked up his third save of the season. Crabs win 8-5.
On Sunday, the Crabbies would break out the brooms. Keenan Morris drove in two from the leadoff spot. Hirschkorn stayed hot, driving in two more runs of his own. The offense star, though, was catcher Liam Forsyth, who drove in three runs on three hits, including his first home run of the summer.
“All of our catchers are such studs, and they are all super high-energy guys, too. They are some of the toughest guys on the team,” said Standish when asked about the trio of catchers the Crabs have run out this year, Forsyth, Kawana Soares and Niko Lombardi.
Max Hippensteel pitched two scoreless innings of relief to pick up his first win to go with three saves this summer. Sewell had yet another multi-hit game. For the summer, Sewell is hitting .432, with seven home runs and 30 RBIs. Good guys win, 9-5, sweeping the series and closing out the week 5-0.
Overall, the Crabs have won three of their first four series and find themselves a half game out of first place in the Pacific Empire League. They will be hitting the road this week to take on the Medford Rogues before returning home for a weekend set with the West Coast Kings.
Visit northcoastjournal.com for Crabs home game coverage all summer.
Brandon Dixon (he/him) is a former All American who played college baseball for Orange Coast College, Point Loma Nazarene and the Peninsula Oilers. Father to two little girls, he’s also the host of The Brando Show podcast.
This article appears in The Disappearing Registrants.
