The Crabs bounced back from a rough weekend in a big way, cooling off the red-hot Marysville Gold Sox with a pair of 3-2 wins on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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The Gold Sox had won 35 straight before dropping their game Sunday against the Redding Colt .45s 6-4. But the Crabs were undaunted, looking impressive in sweeping the two-game series, winning the finale in extra-innings, walkoff fashion.
Tuesday's tilt was scoreless through seven, with each team having left seven runners on base. But the floodgates opened up in the eighth. Two singles and a double put the Gold Sox up 1-0 and chased Crabs starter Kyle Swannack from the game. The Gold Sox added another run against reliever James Barragan on a sacrifice fly, but Barragan struck out the next two batters to end the frame.
In the bottom of the eighth, Will Soto led off with a single, and moved to third on Clay Cedarquist's one-out double. Cedarquist was replaced by a pinch runner, Andrew Rodriguez, and with two outs, Spencer Duggan lifted a flyball to short center that found a hole in the defense, scoring both runners to tie the game.
Duggan advanced to third on a bloop single by Jared Deacon, and then scored the go-ahead run when Ryan Wiggins lined a shot right off Gold Sox pitcher Bobby Raymos' foot for an infield single.
On Wednesday, the teams traded jabs in the early innings. Duggan led off the Crabs' first with a single through the hole on the right side, and scored all the way from first when Ty Afenir doubled over a sun-fighting Tommy Lininger's head in left.
Former Crab Justin Lamb led off the Gold Sox second with a single, and eventually came around to score on a fielder's choice. The next inning, a solo home run by Victor Romero gave Marysville the lead.
In the fourth, the Crabs overcame a somewhat lucky third-to-first double play to score the tying run. With Riley Drongesen and Bradley Zimmer on base and nobydy out, Nick Latta hit a hard grounder down the third base line. Casey Scott snagged it, and as he came across the line to grab it, he nearly tripped on third base. Realizing he'd touched the bag, he threw across the diamond to get Latta at first.
However, after Zimmer stole third, Rodriguez singled through the left side to send him home and knot things at 2.
It stayed that way until the tenth, when Ryan Dettman drew a one-out walk. Drongesen poked a hit-and-run single to right that moved Dettman to third. Zimmer then knocked one into left field to send the fans home happy.
This weekend the Crabs resume Far West League action, welcoming the NorCal Longhorns to the park for a three-game set, Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon. The Longhorns are 4-2 so far in league play.
