2009 Midnight Sun Goldpanners
2009: Stats • Schedule/Results • Roster • Pictures

Chillicothe, Missouri
 July 23, 2009

CHILLOCOTHE, MO- Jim Dietz has seen a lot of wild games while managing as part of the Alaska Goldpanners organization. His 497^th win with the team may have been the craziest yet, as the Midnight Sun Goldpanners beat the Chillocothe Mudcats 9-5 Thursday night.

The very first inning of the game symbolized just how wacky the night would be.

After the Goldpanners quietly went down in order to start the game, Chillocothe came to the plate.

Leadoff batter Darian Sanford led off the bottom half of the inning with a single proceeded to steal second on the very next pitch. With Sanford on second base, Bryan Mason hit a slow roller, that Goldpanner Eric Lane picked up and fired to first for the out.

But Sanford- who is undoubtedly the most dangerous runner the Goldpanners have seen all summer long- came around, scoring from second on the groundout, just ahead of first baseman David Duetchman’s throw, making the score 1-0.

Sanford scoring from second on a groundout was just a beginning of what would continue to be one of the most memorable games in recent memory.

There was no scoring until the top of the 7^th inning, when the Goldpanners tied the score at one, on a zany play of their own. With Josh Kalalau on second base, and one out David Duetchman was at the plate.

Duetchman drew a walk, with the fourth ball bouncing to the backstop, past Chillocothe catcher John Creely. Kalalau sprinted to third, but rounded the base a little too far, and Creely fired the ball to his third baseman Toby Davis, catching Kalalau in a rundown.

However, Davis ran Kalalau too far toward the plate, allowing the Goldpanner to dive safely into home ahead of Davis’ throw.

But just as quickly as the Goldpanners tied, the game they lost it, giving up four runs in the bottom of the 7^th inning. Carey Schwartz replaced starter Jason Van Skike, but by the end of the inning the Goldpanners were down 5-1.

Midnight Sun would not be denied however, as they had a five run inning of their own in the top of the 8^th inning, taking a 6-5 lead, one they’d never relinquish. They scored the runs on two hits, two walks, two hit batters, a Lane RBI groundout and a Trent Olezsczuk sacrifice fly.

With all the twists and turns, all the game needed was a little controversy, which it got in the top of 9^th inning.

The Goldpanners scored three runs in the inning, but there was a temporary delay with one out. After Josh Ashenbrenner drove in Tristan Metcalf and Lane on a 2-RBI triple it was revealed that Metcalf batted out of turn in the order.

Initially the umpires on the field ruled Metcalf out, and that the two runs would be removed, before overturning the call, because Chillocothe did not catch the error in time. Ashenbrenner’s triple held up, and he later scored on a Kalalau single.

That would be the final scoring of the night, as Schwartz closed out the win with a quiet 9^th inning.

The Goldpanners return to action Friday night, when they take on Chillocothe again, in a game this is most certain to be tamer than Thursday night’s affair. Please check out www.goldpanners.com for full coverage.

 

Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
Midnight Sun Goldpan 000 000 153 -  9  8  1
Chillocothe Mudcats. 100 000 400 -  5  7  2
-------------------------------------------