newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS — One night after hammering out 13 hits in a lopsided 13-5 victory over the Peninsula Oilers of Kenai, the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks couldn’t come through with a clutch hit.

The Panners outhit the Oilers 7-6 on Saturday night but came up on the short end of a 3-1 Alaska Baseball League decision at Coral Seymour Stadium in Kenai.

The Panners had several potential rallies cut short when they grounded into three double plays to end innings.

Peninsula scored all of its runs in the first two innings, as the Oilers plated a pair of runs in the first and added another in the second.

The Panners scored their only run in the fifth inning when center fielder Nick Ciolli’s base hit drove in left fielder Jake Dunning.

Second baseman Casey Stevenson led the Panners’ seven-hit offensive attack with a 3-for-4 night at the plate. Dunning had two hits. Third baseman Raoul Torrez had the other Goldpanner hit.

P.J. Sequeira was the only Oiler player with two hits.

Peninsula starter Bryce Uhrig worked five innings to get the win. He allowed the only runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out six.

Brandon Berl, Seth Harvey and Erik Draxton combined to keep the Panners off the scoreboard in the final five innings.

Matt Newman was the hard-luck loser for the Goldpanners. He worked 6 2/3 innings, giving up all three runs on five hits while walking two and striking out three.

The loss dropped the Panners into third place in the ABL standings. The Anchorage Glacier Pilots now lead the league with a 9-5 record after a three-game sweep of the Anchorage Bucs. Mat-Su is in second place, a half-game back at 9-6, and the Panners follow at 7-5. Peninsula is fourth with a 7-6 record.

The Panners and Oilers conclude their three-game series this afternoon.

There will be baseball in Fairbanks tonight as the Athletes in Action Fire and the Anchorage Bucs lock horns in a 7 p.m. contest at Growden Memorial Park.