Last week’s big
story was the San Francisco Giants drafting the Humboldt Crabs’ Elijah McNeal, the 18-year-old,
6-feet-3-inch, 180-pound infield prospect out of Dublin, California. Having
graduated high school in May, McNeal joined the Humboldt Crabs for the summer. Now,
McNeal has signed with the Giants organization and went from batting practice
in Arcata to Arizona for rookie ball.
Back home, our
Humboldt Crabs had been on quite the run during their toughest stretch of the
season. After taking two of three league games against the West Coast Kings to
end last week, the boys looked forward to the remainder of their regular season
schedule being all home games, with the friendly confines of Arcata Ballpark
packed with Crabs fans. They would need it, with the first-place Healdsburg
Prune Packers coming to town for a huge weekend series. The Crabs entered the
week two games up on the third-place Lincoln Potters, and two games in back of
the first-place Pack. Before the weekend series started, the Crabs welcomed Redding’s
Seals to town for a midweek, non-league warm-up, continuing their dominant
ways, sparking even more excitement and tension heading into the pivotal
weekend set.
On Tuesday
night, after finally getting a day off, the Crabs would announce their presence
with authority. Starter Miles Oliver would put together arguably his strongest
start of the summer. The lefty would throw seven shutout innings, and the bats
would do the rest. A three-run home run from Tate Medicoff, his third of the
summer, would set the tone for the good guys in the first and they’d never look
back. Adam Enyart continued his special summer driving in his 43rd and 44th
RBIs of the summer. Nolan Hamilton and Cayden Lee added multiple-hit efforts
and the Crabs would strut, 9-1 to start the week.
Wednesday was
more of the same. A run in the first and third innings would give the Seals an early
lead, but they poked a bear, and in the Crabs’ offensive half of the fourth,
boom — six runs. Medicoff stayed hot, hitting his second home run in as many
nights, driving in two. Jacob Pappas added a multi-hit/multi-RBI game. Aided by
three errors from the Seals, the Crabbies would pull away. Brock Lenhardt had a
great start, giving up one run over five solid frames to pick up his second win
of the summer, and lower his ERA to an impressive 1.47. Cody Collins, Brody
Jacobs, Sean Carey and Enyart would all contribute a scoreless inning in
relief, and the Crabs rolled 9-2. They’d have a day off to prepare for the
Prune Packers coming to town for a prime-time showdown the next evening.
On Friday night
at the ballpark, the boys seemed loose. There were the normal conversations,
the normal preparation and, of course, the always present pregame Hacky sack session.
However, the air felt heavy, an understanding of how big this series was and
how good the opposition had been. The Crabs would send undefeated ace and
birthday boy Myles Standish to the mound and the table was set for the series.
The Crabbies took one of three on the road in Healdsburg early in the season,
and grabbing the first of this series would be big. Standish would go seven
strong, giving up one earned run and striking out six to extend his quality
start streak to eight. If you are keeping track at home, that is every game he
has appeared in for the Crabs this year. Runs in the second and third innings
for the Pack would give them an early lead, but the resilient Crabs would
respond with runs of their own in the fourth and fifth to bring things even. In
the fourth, a Houston Hirschkorn single, followed by a single from Timmy Reed
would set the stage for a productive and huge at bat from catcher Niko
Lombardi. Lombardi would battle, put the ball in play and, on a fielder’s
choice, come through driving in the Crabs’ first run of the game. In the fifth,
Tyler Howard tied things up with his third home run of the season, part of a
huge four-hit effort. Things would stay the same until the top of the eighth,
when a crushing home run from the Packers’ J.C. Osorio-Agard, his 12th of the
summer, put Healdsburg ahead for good. The Crabs would drop game one in
heartbreaking fashion, 3-2.
Saturday night
was just as tense. The Crabs were never really able to get things going
offensively. Cameron Sewell, Enyart, Pappas and Tate Medicoff all drove in runs
for the home team. However, two errors and six walks on the defensive side
would keep the Pack in control. Healdsburg wins, 5-3.
Sunday,
desperately needing a win, the Crabs would fall behind 4-0 early, but they
would show the character and resilience they have shown all summer. They
answered with one run to jab back and draw blood in the fourth. In the fifth, a
breakthrough: four more runs to put them on top. Reed would get things started
with a single, backed up by another single from Keenan Morris. The Crabs were
in business. And a fielder’s choice would advance the runners. Back-to-back
singles from standouts Sewell and Enyart would score both runners; a walk and a
wild pitch would put the Crabs in the driver’s seat. Collins contributed two
shutout innings of relief, and standout Max Hippensteel cruised through a
perfect eighth to carry the Crabs to a 4-3 lead headed into the final at bat
for the Packers. Then, more heartbreak. In the ninth, a one-out home run from
Maximo Martinez would tie the game for Healdsburg. After a walk, Logan Sutter
hit a two-run shot of his own to put the Packers on top for good, 7-5.
Healdsburg broke out the brooms and walked away from the weekend with a sweep
and a secure clinching of a spot in the League Championship series.
In other
meaningful action, the Lincoln Potters, with obvious scoreboard watching on
their end, handled business and picked up the two games they trailed our Crabs
by. The Crabs and Potters find themselves in a deadlock for the final spot in
the Championship Series with one week of league games to go. The Crabs are back
in league action this weekend with the Medford Rogues in town for yet another
pivotal series. The Crabs hold the tie breaker against the Potters, as they
took both series from them earlier this summer. Let your nails grow this week,
because come Friday night, you may be biting them.
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 Conductor.