Humboldt Crabs Baseball

The top two teams in this year’s Pacific Empire League standings are starting to put some distance between them and the chasing pack as they get set for a key series this week.

Over the weekend, the Humboldt Crabs won four of five games against the Solano Mudcats to keep pace with the Healdsburg Prune Packers, the defending league champs.

With their four wins, the Crabs improved to 11-3 in league play (27-4 overall) and they remain on the heels of the Prune Packers (10-2, 21-3).

The two league contenders will face off in a three-game series in Healdsburg, beginning on Tuesday night.

The two clubs will also play a pair of games at the Arcata Ball Park later in the month.

The Lincoln Potters (7-5, 24-6) are third in the PEL standings.

The Crabs dropped their series opener against the Mudcats, losing 6-3 on Thursday night.

But they would respond with four straight wins to close out the five-game series, sweeping a Friday night doubleheader, 8-2 and 9-4, before winning a high-scoring game on Saturday, 16-10, and then closing out the weekend stand with a 12-2 win on Sunday.

The Crabs trailed early in Friday’s opening game, but rallied with five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take control.

Tyler Howard continued this impressive summer at the Arcata Ball Park and finished 3-for-4 in the win with his second home run of the summer and three RBIs.

Ryan VandenBrink also had two hits in the win.

McKinleyville’s Jackson Kelly got the start on the hill for the home team and threw three innings for a no-decision, allowing two earned runs on two hits and five walks and striking out four.

Justin Dougan threw three scoreless innings in relief for the win.

In game two on Friday, the Crabs had to overcome another early deficit.

They trailed by four going into the fourth, but would rally with two runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings before taking control with five runs in the sixth.

Fortuna’s Daniel Osborne had the hot bat in that win, finishing 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and two runs.

The impressive Evan Miranda got the win in relief of starter Miles Oliver, throwing 4.1 scoreless innings and allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out six.

Crabs fans were treated to a high-scoring showdown on the Fourth, but the home team never appeared in danger of losing this one after scoring nine runs in the bottom of the second inning, while overcoming yet another early deficit to the Mudcats.

Osborne and VandenBrink both continued to impress at the plate and finished with three hits each to lead a 15-hit team performance.

VandenBrink also hit his first home run of the summer in that win.

The Crabs continued to pile up the hits on Sunday, with Howard leading a 13-hit team performance and finishing 3-for-5 with a walk and two runs.

Nine different pitchers threw an inning each for the Crabs.

The Mudcats are now 11-11 on the season and 6-10 in the PEL.