Also, haven't been using reach with the crocs,
Frogs? Yes. Super reach.
There were 2 crocs adjacent to you when you started to manifest, so one took a swing. Luck of the dice. Lucky the crocs are not interested in sharing, they each are only targeting 1 pc.
But if it makes it any better, the next combat doesn't focus on reach, grapple, swallow hole, or large vs small