By Caleb Knudsen
As long anticipated, the Healdsburg Prune Packers sealed the Pacific Empire League (PEL) pennant well before the season’s regular play ended, with a three-game series sweep of the Humboldt Crabs in mid-July. That set the stage for a “5-peat,” a five-in-a-row championship trophy for the Prune Packers.
All they have to do to accomplish this rare feat is take the best-of-three championship series, now underway. (See UPDATE below.)
What was not so easily decided was which team would face the Packers in the championship series: the Crabs or last year’s challenger, the Lincoln Potters.
It turned out to be the Crabs. Despite identical league records of 17 wins and 8 losses, the Crabs ended the year at 37-8 overall, while the Potters came in at 33-9.
The Packers have won almost 90% of their games this year, some by embarrassingly one-sided scores but, more recently, in tight games that may come down to the last inning. As the PEL season goes on, the teams become better and more competitive as they discover their own strengths—and perhaps the weaknesses of their opponents.
The Prune Packers have won every series they’ve played this year, from the South Bay Storm on June 6-7 on, with one exception: the Potters took two games in a row from the Packers just one week ago. The first, on July 23, was as dramatic a game as the league has seen this year: a bottom-of-the-ninth, walk-off grand slam home run that broke a scoreless tie, 4-0.
In the ninth inning with two outs and bases loaded, Packers right-hander Michael Meckna of Omaha, Nebraska, had to face only one batter. Unfortunately it was Roseville’s own Jason Hanson, and the local boy took a 2-1 pitch downtown, as they say, or into McBean Stadium’s parking lot.
The next night the Potters won again, this time at Rec Park, by adding enough runs in the middle innings and holding off a Packers comeback. Hanson homered again, but even a 4-3 night for Hideki Prather, including a triple, couldn’t get the Packers into overdrive, and they took the 5-2 loss.
They quickly recovered from the disappointing losses to the Potters with a shrug and a three-game winning streak to end the year’s schedule. Regardless, it’s been a remarkable season for the Prune Packers, another record-breaking year—even better than last year, when they boasted a 37-6 record.
As coach Joey Gomes said recently, “My favorite part about coaching these guys in the summer is getting a new group, getting them to work together to understand the things that we got to do every day are going to help us win baseball games.” That’s what the team has proven all year, with that 5-peat trophy in sight: It’s working together for the wins.
UPDATE: Game one of the 2025 Championship series was held on Tuesday, July 29, at Arcata Ball Park, where just two weeks earlier the Packers swept a three-game series.
The Humboldt Crabs made the most of home field advantage to defeat the Healdsburg Prune Packers 10-8 on Tuesday night. The Crabs took an early lead and although the Packers played catch-up all night, tying the game twice, they could not overcome the Crabs.
Games two and three of the series will be played in Healdsburg, at Rec Park, with an anticipated 6pm start time on Thursday, July 31, and if necessary on Friday, Aug. 1.
