Baseball can be fickle, exhilarating and heartbreaking. When we last left our beloved Crabs, they were on a roll and onto top of the conference, with a daunting and trying road trip in front of them. That road trip would be the worst-case scenario for the hometown heroes. Facing two of their toughest opponents in the Healdsburg Prune Packers and the Medford Rogues, the Crabs would come home winless, dropping six straight games and plummeting to fourth place in league.
Upon their return, they dropped the first game of a huge series against the West Coast kings, and the spiral was in full effect. They had seen coaching ejections in back-to-back games and reached a boiling point. The players got together and did what they could to right the ship. “We were just a click away and there was a bit of separation that we fixed,” said Ryan VandenBrink. From there, the Crabbies rallied.
Game one of the series Wednesday night was the first of a double-header. A solid start from veteran Myles Standish set the tone, and summer standout Evan Miranda took things the rest of the way on the mound. Standish threw three shutout innings on the mound while striking out 7, and Miranda closes out the game with the win. That would prove to be Miranda’s last outing of the summer, as he was called back to San Diego State to prepare for the upcoming season after a sensational summer with the Crabs. Offensively, Colton Boardman led the way with two hits and a run driven in, including his second home run of the summer. Adam Enyart and Kawana Soares added two hits apiece and combined for three RBIs to tack on for Humboldt. The Crabs were back on track taking game one 8-3.
In game two, local lefty Jackson Kelly, who just committed to Lassen College, struck out 10, walked zero and threw a no-hitter, lifting the crowd and his team to their feet. “My mom has worked here with the Crabs since I was 6. I’ve been a bat boy, I’ve been to so many games — tonight was special,” said Kelly. “Ryan VandenBrink and I were on the same page all night, and I think I only shook him off once.” (Listen to the interview with Kelly below.)
Speaking of VandenBrink, he had doubled the game before but also took two fastballs to the ribs in the same game. Before game two, he said, “My ribs are hurting; they swelled up pretty quick, but I’m starting behind the plate in 30 minutes.” That’s baseball. He went on to call a no-hitter and hit his third home run of the season, a no-doubter onto U.S. Highway 101. “Once the game started, my ribs felt fine,” VandenBrink said with grin. Alex Harrington and Enyart added two hits each and combine drive in 3 runs, and the Crabs would win the night 8-0. (Hear this week’s interview with VandenBrink below.)
Winning two games in a row is one thing, but if you win three, you’re on a streak. On Thursday night, behind a solid start from Miles Oliver, the Crabs determination and grit came through. Manoa Chapman led the way, finishing a home run short of hitting for the cycle while driving in five runs. Soares drove in a run while Harrington added three hits. VandenBrink added two hits to stay hot, and the Crabs walked away victorious again, 6-4.
Friday night, the Crabs’ streak came to an end. After a tough start, they found themselves down 6-0 in the third before mounting a comeback. Tyler Howard and Jaden Shabry each hit singles to drive in runs. Jason Arriola, who went 3-5 on the night, added another run, and the Crabs found themselves back in the ballgame 6-4. Antonio Nordman was outstanding with three scoreless innings of relief, but then the wheels fell off for the Crabs’ bullpen. Seven walks and three errors blew things open for the Kings. The pen failed to get ahead in the count and the Kings capitalized to take the game 12-8.
On Saturday, the Crabs welcomed the first place Packers to Arcata Ball Park. Bryson Schelp stepped up in a big way. Attacking the strike zone all night, he gave up a single run over six innings while striking out eight and walking none. “Everything was working, I was throwing my splitter for strikes and got a lot of swings and misses,” said Schelp. Jack Novak added three scoreless frames to close out an all-around phenomenal night on the mound for the Crabs, saving their bullpen for games to come. The pitchers worked quickly, efficiently and most importantly, they threw strikes. Enyart drove in the first run, and Howard hit his second home run of the season to give the Crabs the only runs they needed. It was suspenseful, but a huge win for the Crabs in a big spot 2-1.
On get away day, the Packers got their revenge. The same issues that have hurt the Crabs on the mound were back. Failure to get ahead of hitters and putting them in comfortable counts blew the game open. Seven walks and two errors put the game out of reach early, and the Crabs took a tough loss 9-1.
With only a week or so left, the Crabs get a much needed reprieve from the gauntlet of a league schedule they’ve played. They will have two games against Bercovich Honors before welcoming the Medford Rogues to town for a decisive series. The Crabs need some help but they aren’t out yet.
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 20 Years at the Playhouse.
