After cruising to a 10-1 win on Friday and jumping out to an early 5-0 lead in Sunday's first game, it seemed the Crabs would breeze their way to an easy sweep of the Southern Oregon RiverDawgs. But perhaps they relaxed a little too much, and the Dawgs took advantage, capping a 7-5 comeback win with a four-run ninth inning rally.
The Crabs seemed shaken as they watched the visitors take a 4-2 lead in the second game, but Will Soto came to the rescue, belting two homers in the game to lift the Crabs to a 6-4 victory.
Friday's game was a combination of Tanner McIntyre being his typical stingy self on the mound and the offense scoring early and often on the Southern Oregon pitchers. McIntyre improved to 3-1, yielding just one run in six innings before turning things over to Evan Ewing and Zach Reser. The offense scored two runs in each of the first three innings, then added three more in the fifth and one in the seventh. Riley Drongesen, Bradley Zimmer, Zack McCoy and Ty Afenir each had three hits, and Afenir registered a game-high three RBIs.
After rain postponed Saturday's scheduled contest, the Crabs seemed to pick up right where they left off in Sunday's first game, scoring two in the second and three more in the third. But that turned out to be all they'd get, and the RiverDawgs narrowed the gap with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth.
Then in the ninth, after Reser walked in one run, the Dawgs' Vince Ampi hit a one-out fly to right, and Zimmer came up throwing to home. The ball got to catcher Jared Deacon in plenty of time, but Kyle Secciani came in hard, sliding in and creating a huge dustcloud. When the dust began to clear, the ball was by the backstop and the tying run had scored. Tynan Pedretti then broke the tie with a clean two-run single to center.
In the nightcap, a 4-run fifth gave the RiverDawgs a brief 4-2 lead, but Soto hit the first of his two shots in the bottom of the frame, a two-run blast that tied the game. His second, in the seventh, broke the tie, and then Ryan Wiggins gave the Crabs an insurance run with a freeway ball in the eighth. Andrew Nelson threw three innings in relief of Johnny Melero to earn the win.
The Crabs now sit at 17-5 overall, and 7-2 in the Far West League, tied for first with the Neptune Beach Pearl. On the Fourth of July, they'll host the Eel River Eels at 12:30.
