Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Jehee Lee rounds the bases after hitting the first home run of the summer for the Humboldt Crabs on Saturday night.

The Humboldt Crabs and Seals Baseball served up an exciting season-opening series at the Arcata Bay Park over the weekend, with the home team winning Sunday’s rubber match 8-1 to take the series.

The Crabs also won Friday’s opener 2-1, before falling 17-13 in 10 innings on Saturday night.

And there was no shortage of home runs, with the Crabs hitting four long balls for the weekend, including two by newcomer Victor Castenada in Sunday’s win.

Last year, the Crabs didn’t hit their first home run of the season until midway through June and they finished with 14 on the season.

Manager Robin Guiver sees the weekend start as a good sign.

“And we still have some power coming, so I think we’ll be leaving the yard a little more this summer,” the longtime club manager said. “I know fans like the long ball.”

Jehee Lee hit the first home run of the season for the team on Saturday night, as the Crabs battled back from a 13-5 deficit to force extra innings, including scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Returning player Javier Felix added a second home run to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth.

However, some miscues in the 10th allowed the visitors score four runs on their way to the victory.

Several local players also impressed for the Crabs over the weekend.

McKinleyville’s Cameron Saso got the start on the hill for Friday’s season opener and threw five innings of hitless ball on his way to the win.

The former Panthers standout gave up just two walks and struck out five and appears to be benefiting from a change in his approach this year.

“His arm slot is a little different than in past years,” Guiver said. “He was a little bit lower with his arm slot and it worked. It seems as if that change is going to help him.”

According to Guiver, it also gives Saso a little more movement with his pitches.

Former Eureka Logger Keenan Morris also got the summer season off to a flying start and finished 3-for-6 with a double, a walk, an RBI and three runs in Saturday’s loss.

Returning team MVP Billy Ham picked up just where he left off last summer and was 4-for-4 with an RBI in Friday’s win.

“Billy hit the ball well,” Guiver said. “Billy was our MVP last summer and I expect him to be in the mix again this summer. There’s a lot to like about him.”

Defensively, the Crabs made two errors in Saturday’s loss but the team played errorless ball on both Friday and Saturday, which Guiver says is “really encouraging.”

Next up, the Crabs will host the Humboldt Eagles at the Arcata Ball Park on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

All Crabs games are streamed live on the club’s YouTube channel, as well as being broadcast live on local ESPN radio (107.3 FM and 1340 AM).