Making just his second start of the summer, Kirby Morsching allowed four hits in the opening eight innings on the way to leading the Humboldt Crabs to a 4-2 win over the Folsom Pioneers at the Arcata Ballpark Saturday night.

Morsching, who has been used mostly in relief this season, gave up a run in the top of the first before shutting down the Pioneers bats for the following seven innings on the way to posting his first win in a Crabs uniform.

“He did a heck of a job,” Crabs manager Matt Nutter said of Morsching. “It was just what we needed from Kirby.”

After allowing three hits in the ninth, and with the potential tying run at first base, Morsching was relieved by Dakota Watts, who quickly got the final out to seal the Crabs’ sixth consecutive win, their longest winning streak of the summer.

At the plate, Caleb Annesley had the hot bat for the Crabs, finishing 2-for-3 with a two-run double in the bottom of the second to give his team a lead it would not relinquish.

The Crabs added a third run in the fifth on a two-out Michael Miller single to score Annesley, who had led off the inning with a single.

John Parham added two hits in the win, including an RBI single to center field to give the Crabs an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth.

Jeff Giacomini also finished with a pair of hits for the Crabs (17-5).

Defensively, shortstop Beck Wheeler made a spectacular play in the top of the sixth, stopping a hard-hit ball from getting out of the infield and tossing quickly to third base to get the lead runner.

For the night, Morsching allowed seven hits in eight-and-two-third innings, while striking out five and walking one.

The Pioneers, who were making their first trip to Arcata, lost all three weekend games to the Crabs, but after getting blown out in the opener they made things interesting with a pair of close games, including a one-run loss in extra innings Friday night.

The Pioneers also are one of six teams on the schedule that will be included with the Crabs in the newly formed Sierra Baseball League in the summer of 2009.

“I like seeing which teams we’re going to be up against if we do join that league,” said Nutter. “It’s a good measuring stick.”

Thus far this summer, the Crabs are 5-0 against future SBL teams.

The Crabs will close out a busy weekend in a single game with the Humboldt Steelheads today at 12:30 p.m. at the Arcata Ballpark.

After getting blown out by a combined score of 45-7 in four games with the Crabs last year, the Steelheads have been far more competitive in three losses this summer, getting outscored just 7-2. including a pair of one-run games.

Isaac Johnson (2-1, 0.92 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Crabs this afternoon.