2009 Goldpanners
Goldpanners vs. Oilers (July 12, 2009)

2009: Stats • Schedule/Results • Roster • Pictures

July 12 2009 Alaska Goldpanners Roster • Schedule/Results • Stats • Pictures 104th Midnight Sun Baseball Classic

July 12 GameTracker vs. Peninsula Oilers

For the first six innings of Sunday’s game against the Oilers, the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks (15-16, 12-12 ABL) were at the mercy of dominating lefty Scott Snodgress. But Goldpanners starter David Colvin worked out of jam after jam to keep his squad in the game in four gutty innings of work. The Kenai Peninsula Oilers (13-16, 10-14 ABL) left 13 runners on base, and the Goldpanners scored one run in the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th, to hold on and win the game by a score of 3-2.

Colvin’s high wire act began in the first as the Oilers loaded the bases with two outs. But Colvin got a huge strike out of designated hitter Stephen Hagen to end the threat. Colvin would strike out 5 in his 4 innings of work.

The Oilers scored a run in the 2^nd, but it wasn’t really Colvin’s fault. With one out, Caleb Bushyhead legged out an infield single. A Goldpanner error put Joe Kohan aboard, and just like that the Oilers had runners on 1^st and 2^nd with only one away. A passed ball moved up both runners 90 feet, then another passed ball scored Bushyhead and it was 1-0 Oilers. But Colvin was able to work around the trouble, and the one unearned run was all the Oilers would get as they left two more base runners stranded.

The Oilers left one more stranded in the 3rd inning, and they got a runner on 3^rd with two away in the 4^th. Colvin again got the out he needed, coaxing a fly ball to center field to end the inning.

But despite Colvin’s best efforts, the Goldpanners offense couldn’t even touch Snodgress. Snodgress retired the first eight hitters of the game before walking Martin Medina with two outs in the 3^rd. Medina stole second, but was left stranded. Ryan McIntyre got the first hit for the Goldpanners in the 5^th, but he was promptly picked off when he tried to steal second.

Snodgress looked to be getting even stronger as the game went along as he struck out the side in order in the 6^th.

Meanwhile, right hander Jeeter Ishida came in for Colvin after four innings and tossed two shut out innings to hold down the fort for the Goldpanners. Finally, in the 7^th, with one out Andrew Pollak drew a walk. Justin Schafer found a hole between short and third for the 2^nd hit of the game for the Goldpanners. With runners on 1^st and 2^nd with one away, Brennan Gowens struck out for the 2^nd out of the frame. But McIntyre finally chased Snodgress from the game when he drew a clutch walk to load the bases.

New pitcher Chad Smith got Jeremy Rodriguez to hit a high, seemingly routine pop up to second base, but a lack of communication among the Oilers’ fielders caused the ball to fall on the dirt. Pollak scored easily to tie the game, and it appeared that Schafer had scored as well from second base. But the home plate umpire ruled that Schafer had missed the plate, and he was tagged out. An infuriated Schafer threw his helmet on the ground and was ejected from the game.

This caused the Goldpanners, already short on position players, to eliminate the DH and move Bobby Davis to catcher. Ishida started the bottom half of the 7^th inning by hitting Marty Mullins. A sacrifice bunt put Mullins on second base, and one out later Jonathan Kaskow delivered a RBI single as the Oilers took a 2-1 lead. That would be it for Ishida as Jordan LeGros came in and struck out Hagen to end the inning.

Bobby Davis hadn’t started for quite some time, but he took a fastball from Chad Smith and lined it in to right field for a base hit to start the 8^th. A passed ball put Davis on second, and he moved to third on a Medina grounder. Then Raoul Torrez delivered a double down the left field line to score Davis and tie the game at two. It looked like the Goldpanners would finally take the lead as Evan Simonitsch hit a sharp grounder to short that was booted, but the ball didn’t go very far away, and Torrez was thrown out at third base after taking too wide of a turn around the ball. Then Simonitsch was caught stealing to end the threat.

Headed to the 9^th, the Goldpanners and Oilers were still tied at 2 after LeGros delivered a dominating bottom of the 8^th. Pollak once again showed his patience at the plate as he drew a lead off walk against Smith. The LeGros (hitting in Schafer’s spot) tried to bunt him over , but the Oilers were able to get Pollak at second base. Gowens was able to draw a walk and the Goldpanners had runners on 1^st and 2^nd with only one out. McIntyre got his second hit of the game as he singled to left to move everyone up 90 feet.

Then Smith uncorked a wild pitch and LeGros hustled in to score the go-ahead run.

LeGros started the bottom of the 9^th by walking the lead-off man, which prompted a call to the bullpen for ace closer Kyle Brule. Brule got Marty Mullins to fly out, but Michael Miller stole second as the Oilers refused to back down. The next two hitters drew walks, loading the bases with only one away. Up stepped Jonathan Kaskow, who had yet to be retired in four trips to the plate. But Brule got him to strike out for a huge second out. Then pinch hitter Mark Tracy popped out to Medina to end the game.

Brule earned his 6^th save of the year, while LeGros not only scored the eventual winning run, but picked up his first win of the year at the same time. The Goldpanners have won 5 in a row to get to .500 in the ABL. They look to continue the winning streak tomorrow against the Oilers at 7pm Alaska Time right here on www.goldpanners.com.

 

Score by Innings                    R  H  E
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Alaska Goldpanners.. 000 000 111 -  3  5  1
Peninsula Oilers.... 010 000 100 -  2  6  2
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