Also helping the Panners’ cause was that they built a 5-1 lead in the first three innings — the most runs they’ve scored in the first third of an outing since the Midnight Sun Game last Tuesday. In that classic they put up five runs in the first and two in the third en route to their extra-inning, walkoff win. But in their five-game losing streak, they had managed just six runs total in the first time through the lineup.

If not for double plays Wednesday with nobody out in the first, second, third and fifth innings, the scoreboard total could have been significantly higher. The Panners also left the bases loaded in the third and fourth innings. Nonetheless, field manager Mark Lindsey had to be pleased with the offense generated early in the game and consistently through the middle innings. The night after striking out 20 times they came through with 16 hits, 10 walks and two hit batters.

The Panners drew first blood off Redmond starter Ben Lockwood when Caleb Millikan led off the bottom of the first with a liner to right field, stole second and scored on a Griffin Harrison RBI single to left-center.

Redmond evened things in the third when – following five strikeouts of the first eight batters he faced – Meredith gave up a two-out double to Clint Flippo and a walk to Danny Kahn. Teague Conder reached first on an error by Tate Shimao allowing Flippo to score. But Harrison came on from right field to snag the errant ball and throw out Kahn trying to score at home. The Dude paid for his head-first slide, apparently dislocating his left shoulder at home plate.

The third inning was a big one for the Panners, with Cayden Clark singling, stealing second and scoring on an error; Millikan singling, moving to second on the error, taking third on a balk, and scoring on Rudy’s single; and Harrison walking, moving to third on Rudy’s single, and scoring on a Matthew Pinal ground out.

Harrison was initially ruled out at home and Rudy was subsequently thrown out trying to move to third on the throw home. That would have been a triple play had the umpires’ meeting not resulted in Harrison being ruled safe because the tag had not been applied to him and it was not a force out.

The respite enabled the next batter – Cole Alexander – to add a fifth run to the scoreboard with a solo homerun.

The Panners scored twice in the fourth – Harrison hitting an RBI single to drive in Millikan and Ethan Remmers drawing a bases-loaded walk to score Harrison – but again left the bases loaded.

Redmond added a run on a passed ball in the fourth, which was matched by Alaska in the fifth when Clark scored from third on an errant pickoff attempt by the Dudes’ catcher. A single by Alexander also knocked Rudy in to make the lead 9-2.

The Goldpanners ended the game via run rule in the eighth against Harper Huang, who struck out the side in the sixth and allowed just one hit in the seventh. But Huang hit Alexander to lead off the eighth. Shimao then singled, Remmers reached on a blooper to shallow right field and Clark hit a one-out, bases-loaded single to make it 10-2.

NOTES: Catcher Blake Hiraki, who just completed his sophomore year at the University of Hawaii, made his debut for the Goldpanners. His first-game highlights included gunning down Sun Takahashi on a passed ball with a perfect throw to Shimao to end the fourth inning. … To capture the top seed coming out of the bracket, the Goldpanners would need Redmond to beat Edmonton in today’s noon game and then beat Northwest at 3:30 p.m. … This was the first game played under the lights by the Goldpanners this year, with the sun setting in the fifth inning, or at 9:16 p.m. local time.

Contact sports editor Jeff Olsen at 907-459-7530 or jolsen@newsminer.com