Goldpanners Rally in Eighth to Topple Santa Barbara
June 19, 2000, Daily News-Miner

By RICHARD LARSON

The Alaska Goldpanners pulled off their third come-from-behind win of the season on Monday, scoring two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Santa Barbara Foresters 5-4 at Growden Park.

The Goldpanners trailed 4-1 after two innings of play then clawed back into the game with single runs in the third and sixth innings before scoring twice in the eighth.

Rallying in the late innings has become a trademark for the 2000 Goldpanners in the first five games of the season.

The Panners (4-1) overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat the Fairbanks All-Stars 25-5 in the first game of the season and scored three runs in their last two at-bats in a 5-2 win over Athletes in Action on Friday. Even in their one loss, the Panners fought back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game with a run in the ninth before falling in 14 innings to AIA on Thursday.

The Foresters and Panners continue their four-game series at tonight. Game 3 of the series will be the Midnight Sun Game at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Midnight Sun Game is played in its entirety without the benefit of artificial lights.

The Panners used a little luck and a lot of speed in putting together the winning rally in the eighth against the Foresters.

Barry Matthews led off the inning with a single and was sacrificed to second by Nate Sickler. Matthews moved to third on a ground out by Chad Redfern, bringing coach/third baseman Jack Wickersham to the plate with two outs and the tying run on third.

Wickersham lofted a bloop hit that fell just between the second baseman and a hard-charging center fielder, scoring Redfern with the tying run. After Kaulana Kuhaulua was hit by a pitch, speedy Jonah Martin attempted to bunt for a base hit.

Martin laid a perfect bunt down the third base line. Pitcher Chris Gray threw wildly past first allowing Wickersham to come home with the eventual game-winning run.

The Foresters wasted no time getting to Panners starter Jason Luker as the first three Santa Barbara batters crushed base hits and came around to score runs. An unearned run in the second marked the last score for the Foresters, however, as Panners relievers Ben Julianel and Chris Dunwell combined to shut out Santa Barbara over six innings of work.

Matthews was 2-for-2 with a double and a sacrifice fly: Martin was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored; and Wickersham was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Panners at the plate.

June 19, 2000, Daily News-Miner