1999 Alaska Goldpanners
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By Beth Bragg
(Published: August 1, 1999)

ANCHORAGE -- The Alaska Goldpanners threatened Saturday to send the Peninsula Oilers to the national tournament on a losing streak and put the first blemish on closer Jeff Bowman's perfect record, but instead it is the Panners who leave Alaska for a British Columbia tournament on a losing note.

The Oilers capitalized on a first-inning mistake to score the game's only run and then withstood a final-inning threat to preserve a 1-0 shutout in the Wood Bat Invitational at Mulcahy Stadium.

A double-play ball botched by Goldpanners second baseman Brooks Conrad scored Peninsula's Danny Garcia with two outs in the first inning.

With the bases loaded on walks to Garcia and Jeff Jones and a single by Tyson Boston, Nick Lyon hit a routine ground ball to Conrad. But Conrad bobbled it and had to settle for one out instead of two, which allowed Garcia to come home.

"He's an outstanding second baseman," Garcia said. "But, hey, it happens. Luckily it work our way."

For the rest of the game, third base was occupied only once more by either team. Only four others, two by each team, made it as far as second base.

The biggest scoring chance for the Goldpanners came in the seventh inning with Bowman on the mound in relief of left-hander Carmen Cali, who gave up two singles and one walk in six innings.

David Jensen touched Bowman for a leadoff single and moved to second two outs later on Arik Van Zandt's base hit. Bowman, who entered with a 4-0 record and eight saves in eight opportunities, engaged in a long battle with Charles Merricks, who had singled in his previous at-bat, before getting Merricks on a fly ball down the left-field line.

"He hit it well and went with the pitch well," Goldpanners third baseman Jason Aspito said. "He just got it up, and the kid caught it. They were playing the line."

The catch kept Bowman's record intact and gave him his ninth save of the season, extending his single-season team record.

"I've got faith in Jeff," Oilers manager Gary Adcock said. "He's an older kid, and he's got some experience."

The game ended up with the league's top two closer pitching. The Goldpanners' David Bush, who ended the summer with a league-high 11 saves, came on in the sixth with one out and a runner on first base.

He induced the first batter he faced into an inning-ending double play and then retired three straight in the seventh on two ground balls and a strikeout.

The Oilers turned a double play in the bottom of the first to halt the Goldpanners' only other scoring threat. Fairbanks had men at first and second with one out when cleanup hitter Eric Frei hit a fly ball to center field that doubled up the runner at second.

Both teams lost runners on the base paths. Three Oilers were picked off or caught stealing, and one Goldpanner was caught stealing.

Besides throwing out three runners, the Goldpanners' defense made a run-saving play in the fifth. Garcia reached second on a single and a wild pitch when Jackson Coleman hit a bullet down the third base line.

Aspito made a tough stop to limit Coleman to an infield single, and Garcia could advance no further than third. A double steal attempt ended with Garcia being caught in a run down.

"It was a big play," Aspito said of his catch. "It kept them from getting up 2-0 and gave us a chance to come back."

All-Alaska team

The Alaska Goldpanners placed three players on the All-Alaska Baseball Team announced Saturday with Frei, Bush and outfielder Jonah Martin making the 15-player squad.

Bush was 4-1 with 11 saves for the Goldpanners and sported an ERA of 1.69.

Martin hit .333 and was a threat to steal any time he was on base. Frei hit .275 with seven doubles and 18 runs batted in, taking over full-time catching duties when Greg Sain was injured.

Pitcher John Eric Hernandez of the Mat-Su Miners was selected as the league's most outstanding player, compiling an 8-1 record and an 0.85 ERA.

The Anchorage Glacier Pilots' David Parrish fell short in the outstanding player voting, but made the team as the designated hitter after crushing a league-high eight home runs in the power-impaired ABL.

Parrish was the lone Pilot to make the team.

The Bucs had a league-high five players with shortstop Bryan Anderson, outfielders Spencer Oborn and Eliot Wheeler, utility player Kurt Koshelnik and pitcher Jeff Bruksch making the team.

The Oilers had four players with first baseman Jared Pitney, second baseman Danny Garcia and pitcher Steve Madril and Jeff Bowman on the squad.

Joining Hernandez from the Miners was third baseman Greg Filson.

August 1, 1999, Anchorage Daily News