Humboldt Crabs Baseball – Jackson Kelly

McKinleyville’s Jackson Kelly certainly did his part to help get his team back on track.

On Wednesday night, the former McKinleyville Panther threw a no-hitter to help lead the Crabs to a doubleheader sweep over the West Coast Kings at the Arcata Ball Park and end a six-game losing streak.

After the Crabs took game one 8-3, Kelly took the mound for game two and led them to an 8-0 win.

“Hopefully that’s the momentum shift we needed,” Crabs manager Jeff Giacomini said.

With the two wins, the Crabs improved to 29-10 on the season and 13-9 in the Pacific Empire League and they remain fourth in the standings and well in contention for a place in this year’s league championship series.

Kelly was the big story of the night.

The 2025 McKinleyville High graduate, who played collegiately at Shoreline Community College in Washington this spring, pitched all seven innings and did not allow a base hit or a walk while striking out 10.

“We love Jackson and we’re really excited to have him,” Giacomini said. “He’s a local kid who grew up a Crabs fan and I think that was just a dream come true for him.”

The Crabs pitcher was in control throughout and never allowed the Kings bats build any rhythm.

“He pitched really well, as he has been doing all season,” Giacomini said. “Last night he was just exceptional. He had great command.”

He also got plenty of support from a team defense that committed just two errors on the night compared to the Kings’ seven, while the Crabs bats rediscovered the swagger that had come to define this team earlier in the summer with 16 hits over the two games.

“We turned it on and we needed something to turn this around,” Giacomini said. “Our energy was great, our dugout was great, our chemistry was great.

“The guys, they still believe in each other and it’s going to take every single one of us to do this, and everyone showed up last night.

“It was really nice to see our bats come alive. I think in the last few games we’ve been missing our offense.”

Colton Boardman was one of three Crabs to finish with a pair of hits in the opener, as they steadily put up runs all game, scoring in five of the six innings they went to bat.

Boardman was 2-for-3 with a home run and helped get the Crabs bats rolling again, while Adam Enyart and Ryan VandenBrink each added a double.

Myles Standish got the start on the hill and threw three scoreless innings, giving up just two hits and no walks and striking out seven.

Evan Miranda pitched the final four innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits and a walk and striking out four.

Enyart continued to impress in game two, finishing 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored, as did VandenBrink, who added a home run.

Giacomini believes the sweep can help propel his team to a strong finish.

“I’m excited about the rest of the way,” he said. “I think we’re right back where we need to be.

“Last night, that’s who we are, that’s Humboldt Crabs baseball. It was just great to see.”

The Crabs and Kings will continue their five-game series at the Arcata Ball Park with a single game on Thursday night, with first pitch set for 7 p.m.