A huge crowd was on hand for the first game of a new era on Friday as the Crabs christened the newly renovated Arcata Ball Park with a 4-3 victory over the Novato Knicks. The attendance of 1,255 paid fans was one of the largest crowds in memory, as fans flocked to the park to check out the new look and welcome their beloved Crabbies back to the park
And those 1,255 fans were treated to a thrilling opening night back-and-forth contest that saw the Crabs come out on top. Eureka native Myles Standish got the start on the mound for the Crabs, and cruised through the Knicks’ lineup the first time through as the Crabs took a 1-0 lead after three. The Knicks started to adjust in the fourth, however, tying the game and putting runners on second and third with no outs thanks largely to a double by Vinny Lencioni.
Standish steadied himself however, and escaped the jam with only the one run scored. The Crabs retook the lead on a sacrifice fly in the fifth by another local product, Cayden Lee, and Standing left the game after 5 innings with a 2-1 lead.
That lead vanished in the sixth, when Novato’s Nickolas O’Rourke unloaded on a pitch from reliever Brandon Jacobs, depositing it onto the freeway for a two-run homer and a 3-2 lead. But the Crabs answered with a two-spot of their own in the bottom of the inning thanks to a double by Adam Enyardt and a fielder’s choice by Parker Rodgers. Jacobs and Kayden Kohlberg then shut down the Knicks the rest of the way.
