Walk-off wins help Crabs to first PEL series win over Lincoln Potters – Times-Standard

The Crabs bench celebrates their defense as they return to the dugout after a half-inning loss against the Lincoln Potters on Friday, June 28, 2024. The Crabs have won two games in a row after losing their first seven games in the Pacific Empire League. (Dylan McNeill/The Times-Standard)

After a rocky 0-7 start to the inaugural season of the Pacific Empire League, the Humboldt Crabs fought back with two walk-off wins in extra innings to secure a series victory over the Lincoln Potters.

On Saturday, the Crabs needed 10 innings to pull out a 3-2 victory after another impressive start from former McKinleyville Panther Cameron Saso. Saso pitched 7.2 innings, allowing just one run and one hit and striking out four players, keeping the Crabs in the game while the Humboldt offense failed to score until the ninth inning.

It was Saso’s second consecutive impressive start against the Potters. Last week in Lincoln, he threw seven shutouts while striking out 10 Potters and earning a tie in an eventual Crabs loss.

Saturday’s game remained scoreless until the top of the eighth inning, when the Potters earned a leadoff walk and eventually took Saso out of the game, with reliever Blake Ignaciak forcing a groundout to end the half-inning. Lincoln loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning, but Ignaciak salvaged the situation with two groundouts to keep the deficit at 1-0.

After the first two Crabs were retired in the ninth inning, third baseman Javier Felix worked a walk. Antonio Avila then came in as a pinch runner for Felix and immediately stole second base before Victor Castaneda worked another walk to move Crabs to first and second base. The Potters then loaded the bases with another walk, with center fielder Michael McKernan working the third walk of the inning. Potters pitchers couldn’t find the zone as they tied the game on a four-pitch walk by designated hitter Keoni Coloma. The fourth walk forced a pitcher change for Lincoln and the Potters tied the game at 1-1 with a fielder’s choice to send the game into overtime.

The PEL, like the MLB, enforces an extra-inning rule that requires a runner on second base at the start of each half-inning. The Potters were able to score that runner with a leadoff double to take a 2-1 lead, but the Crabs were able to keep him there with two strikeouts and a pop-up to limit the damage. After a strikeout in the bottom of the tenth inning, an error by Lincoln brought in the winning run, leaving fielder Jehee Lee on first base. The next batter, catcher Troy Harding, hit a single to center field that allowed ghost runner Ruby to score, but the center fielder couldn’t handle the ball as he raced in and prepared to throw it home. His blunder in the outfield allowed Lee to score from first base and win 3-2 in the extra inning thanks to a poor Potters defense.

The Crabs carried the momentum into Sunday’s game, needing 11 innings to pull out the 5-4 victory, which again came with some help from the Potters’ defense. Humboldt’s starting pitcher Nolan Long went four innings and allowed one run before the Crabs’ bullpen took over. Eli Yamanaka took over in the fifth inning and allowed one run, putting the Crabs behind 2-0, but Humboldt got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when Lee hit a double, stole third base and a miss by the Lincoln catcher allowed him to score.

Lincoln scored twice in the ninth inning to take a 4-1 lead and move just three outs away from a series win, their second in a week against the Crabs.

Back-to-back walks by Felix and first baseman Ty Kennedy to start the inning certainly helped jumpstart Humboldt’s comeback. An error by Lincoln scored Felix and put runners on second and third base without anyone out. A sacrifice fly by Jett Ruby then brought the Crabs within one point, although they still had only one out in the inning. After a fly ball for the second out, the Crabs needed some magic to take the game into overtime.

Right fielder Trent Keys, who came on the error, stole third base, putting him 90 feet away from tying the game. The stolen base was a big gamble when Keys tied the game on a wild pitch. The Crabs almost tied it in the ninth inning when left fielder Billy Ham hit a double, but Lincoln broke free.

Neither team could score the ghost runner in the tenth inning, and the Potters failed to score in the eleventh inning either, and this time the Crabs did it. The Crabs didn’t last long in the eleventh inning, as shortstop Colin Callahan laid down a bunt on the first pitch of the inning. The Lincoln pitcher dropped the ball before throwing it to first base, his throw sailing into right field, allowing Ruby to easily score from second base and give the Crabs their second straight walk-off win.

Max Hippensteel, a reliever from UC Davis, got the win for the Crabs after pitching a scoreless eleventh inning. Castaneda was the only Crabs player with multiple hits, with the Humboldt offense taking advantage of three errors by Lincoln to get the win on Sunday.

PEL action continues for the Crabs with a three-game mid-week series against the Solano Mudcats before heading to Medford to face the Rogues this weekend. Humboldt’s league record is tied with Medford for the worst at 2-7. The Crabs are four games behind the second-place Potters and 6.5 behind the first-place Prune Packers.

Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526