Alaska Goldpanners 6, Stockton Senators 0 (Jun 16, 2006 at Fairbanks, AK)
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Stockton Senators... 000 000 000  -  0  2  1
Alaska Goldpanners.. 010 020 30X  -  6 11  0
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Pitchers: Stockton Senators - S. Miller. Alaska Goldpanners - C. Kissock.
Win-C. Kissock  Loss-S. Miller 

By DANNY MARTIN, Staff Writer

A.J. Davidson came to the Alaska Goldpanners as a tryout player, but on Friday night he improved his chances of earning a roster spot with the defending Alaska Baseball League champions.

The third baseman from Florence, Ore., hit 3 for 3 with all doubles and scored twice to contribute to a 6-0 victory over the Stockton Senators of California in the finale of the two-game nonconference series at Growden Memorial Park.

Goldpanners manager Ed Cheff declined to say whether Davidson had secured a roster spot, but he was impressed with the 22-year-old, who accounted for nearly a fourth of Alaska’s 11 hits.

“He swung the bat good tonight. That was a great performance,'’ Cheff said.

Davidson was recommended to Cheff by former Alaska manager Jim Dietz, now a high school baseball coach in Oregon. Davidson worked out late in the season with the Lewis-Clark State College baseball team in Lewiston, Idaho, which Cheff coaches and recently guided to its 14th NAIA national championship.

“I told him to come on up (to Fairbanks) and give us a shot,” Cheff said.

Unbeaten Alaska was also fueled by the pitching of right-handers Chris Kissock and Jake Hower in their debuts with the Goldpanners.

Kissock, a sophomore from Lewis-Clark State, shut out the winless Senators for six innings while scattering two hits, striking out five and hitting one batter. He retired the sides in order in the second, fourth and sixth innings.

Hower, who recently finished his sophomore season at American River College in Sacramento, Calif., threw three innings of no-hit relief. He retired the side in order in the seventh, and overcame hitting two batters and a bases-loaded scare in the eighth.

“They did a good job of throwing strikes and we’re not that offensive,” said Stockton head coach Jim Yanko.

Second baseman Derek Martinez and first baseman Travis Martinez had singles in the top of the first and third, respectively, for the 0-8 Senators. All of Stockton’s losses have occurred in the 49th state, including three against the Peninsula Oilers in Kenai, two to the Anchorage Bucs and one against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots.

The Senators, who also had four putouts by center fielder Shane Farmer and turned one double play, end their Alaskan road trip tonight in Anchorage against the Pilots.

Kissock picked up Friday night where he left off in his last start–a 4-1 victory over the University of British Columbia on May 31 during the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. The win also gave Cheff his 1,500th collegiate career victory.

A slider and a split-finger fastball helped Kissock set up Alaska for its second shutout in three days. The Goldpanners blanked the Fairbanks Adult League All-Stars 14-0 in Wednesday’s season opener and followed Thursday with a 13-5 win over Stockton.

“I had pretty good control tonight and it was the first time in a couple of weeks I’ve been throwing,'’ Kissock said. “I was trying to hit my spots and mix it up, and I was trying to get ahead of everybody.'’

The Goldpanners stayed ahead of the Senators on the scoreboard Friday night while frustrating Stockton starter Sammy Miller, who gave up six runs and 11 hits and retired the sides in the bottom of the first and fourth. The right-hander’s seven-inning stint also featured four strikeouts, one walk and two hit batters.

Stockton reliever Mike James hit two batters in the bottom of the eighth while allowing no hits.

Alaska got two hits apiece in the game from shortstop Mark Thompson, center fielder Chu Yuan-Chin and Jordan Mayer, a slugging right fielder from Louisiana State University. Chu drove in two runs and Thompson had an RBI and scored once.

Mayer chipped in an RBI with a double in the second for the game’s first run.

Davidson triggered Alaska’s 3-0 edge in the fifth inning with a leadoff double. He scored on Thompson’s single which bounced off the front of the mound and through Miller’s legs before hopping past second baseman Martinez into center field. Chu then plated Thompson with a single to left field.

The Goldpanners ended Miller’s night and secured the win with three more runs in the seventh, initiated again by a leadoff double by Davidson, who came home on another hit by Chu.

Chu advanced to third on an infield hit by Jovanny Bramasco, a shortstop from Long Beach (Calif.) City College who was making his Alaska debut. Both then scored on a first-pitch triple by third baseman Beau Mills, who had gone hitless in his previous three at-bats.

Stockton loaded the bases in the top of the eighth with no outs, as Hower hit designated hitter Eric Texeira, walked right fielder John Fugazi and saw third baseman Andrew Randhawa reach base on a fielder’s choice.

The threat waned after Senators catcher Jeff Biacomini flew out to Mayer, whose throw back to reserve catcher Chris Campanella held up Texeira at third base. Hower got out of trouble and preserved the shutout by getting Travis Thompson to bat into a double play.

The Goldpanners play host to the Southern California Running Birds at 7 tonight and at 2 Sunday afternoon.

Stockton Senators 0

Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
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Shane Farmer cf..........  3  0  0  0   0  0  2  0   0
Derek Martinez 2b........  4  0  1  0   0  1  4  3   0
Steve Rinaudo ss.........  4  0  0  0   0  0  1  5   1
Eric Texeria dh..........  2  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
John Fugazi rf...........  1  0  0  0   1  1  0  0   0
Andrew Randawa 3b........  3  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
Jeff Giacomni c..........  3  0  0  0   0  1  5  1   0
Travis Thomson 1b........  3  0  1  0   0  1  8  2   2
Paul Bassi lf............  3  0  0  0   0  1  2  0   0
Sammy Miller p...........  0  0  0  0   0  0  2  1   0
 Mike James p............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 26  0  2  0   1  5 24 13   3

Alaska Goldpanners 6

Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
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Mark Thompson ss.........  4  1  2  1   0  1  1  6   0
Chu Yuan-Chin cf.........  5  1  2  2   0  0  0  0   2
Jovanny Bramasco 2b......  4  1  1  0   0  0  5  5   0
Beau Mills 3b............  4  0  1  2   0  0  0  2   2
Tyler Cheney 1b..........  4  0  0  0   0  2 11  0   0
Joey Dunn c..............  1  1  0  0   1  0  5  1   0
 campanella c............  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   1
Jordan Mayer rf..........  4  0  2  1   0  0  4  0   0
C.Indereeden dh..........  4  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   3
A.J. Davidson lf.........  3  2  3  0   0  0  1  0   0
Chris Kissock p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 Jake Hower p............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 34  6 11  6   1  3 27 14   8

Score by Innings                    R  H  E
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Stockton Senators... 000 000 000 -  0  2  1
Alaska Goldpanners.. 010 020 30X -  6 11  0
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E - J. Giacomni. DP - Stockton 1; Goldpanners 3. LOB - Stockton 3;
Goldpanners 8. 2B - J. Mayer; A. Davidson 3. 3B - B. Mills. HBP - S. Farmer;
E. Texeria; J. Fugazi; M. Thompson; J. Dunn; A. Davidson. SB - M. Thompson.
CS - D. Martinez.

Stockton Senators      IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
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Sammy Miller........  7.0 11  6  6  1  3 31 33
Mike James..........  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  3  5

Alaska Goldpanners     IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
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Chris Kissock.......  6.0  2  0  0  0  5 17 18
Jake Hower..........  3.0  0  0  0  1  0  9 12

Win - C. Kissock.  Loss - S. Miller.  Save - J. Hower .
HBP - by C. Kissock (J. Fugazi); by S. Miller (J. Dunn); by J. Hower (E.
Texeria); by M. James (A. Davidson); by M. James (M. Thompson); by J. Hower (S.
Farmer).