Tuesday, July 14, 1998

Goldpanners
bounce back

Tie series with
Hawaii Island Movers

By Al Chase
Star-Bulletin

Following two lackluster losses, coach Don Cowgill of the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks held a team meeting before last night's game against Hawaii at Rainbow Stadium.

"I told the players I thought they owed it to themselves to come to the yard prepared to play. I think they responded," Cowgill said. "It was my way of lighting a little fire without using those words."

The Goldpanners overcame an early 2-1 deficit with a 13-hit attack and received excellent relief pitching from Jayme Sperring (Houston) and Aaron Heilman (Notre Dame) to beat the Island Movers, 7-4, in an Alaska Baseball League game.

Chris Circuit (Brigham Young) led the Goldpanners (9-12) with an RBI triple in the fourth inning and a two-run double in the eighth that put the game out of reach.

Movers starter Fletcher Lee (Lewis-Clark St.) gave up five runs.

Hawaii coach Kallen Miyataki said the Goldpanners' strategy of stepping out of the batters box after each pitch was a key to the visitors taking an early lead.

"Fletcher is a fast worker and they got him out of his rhythm. I think he learned a lesson," Miyataki said. "I take full responsibility. I left him out there to see how he would react. That's what summer baseball is all about.

"When I did go out, I told him he had to take control of the game. When he did, his pitch count was already at 100 and he had to come out."

The series, tied at two victories apiece, continues at 6 tonight at Rainbow Stadium. Joe Smith, a 6-foot-3 right-hander from Texas Tech, starts for the Movers, who dropped to 4-15.

Box Score

Goldpanners 7, Movers 4

Alaska		ab	r	h	bi	Hawaii		ab	r	h	bi
Cervenak 3b	4	1	1	0	Jacobsen rf	4	0	1	1
Circuit ss	4	0	2	3	Yamaguchi ss	4	1	1	1
Lockhart cf	4	1	2	1	Okimoto 1b	4	0	0	0
Salter dh	4	1	1	0	Sardinha dh	3	0	0	0
Besco 1b	5	1	2	1	Kimura 3b	4	1	1	0
Porzel lf	5	0	2	1	Omori lf	4	1	1	0
Nettles rf	4	1	1	0	Small c	3	0	0	0
Kennedy c	4	2	2	0	Martines ph	1	0	0	0
Correa 2b	3	0	0	0	Kitamura 2b	3	1	2	1
						Okano cf	3	0	1	1
Totals		37	7	13	6	Totals		33	4	7	4

Alaska	103	100	020--7
Hawaii	020	020	000--4

E--Kimura.

DP--Alaska 1 (Cervenak-Correa-Besco). LOB--Alaska 9, Hawaii 3.

2B--Circuit, Porzel, Kitamura. 3B--Cervenak. HR--Yamaguchi. SB--Circuit. SH--Correa, Salter.

		IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Valenzuela (W)	5	6	4	4	0	4
Sperring	3	1	0	0	1	2
Heilman (Sv)	1	0	0	0	0	1
Lee (L)		7	10	5	5	1	3
Yamamoto	0	2	2	2	1	1
Watterson	2	1	0	0	1	1

Yamamoto pitched to two batters in the eighth inning.

HBP--Circuit (by Lee). T--2:30. A--121.