With two outs and nobody on base, the ‘Panners managed to load the bases by drawing two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Leadoff hitter Zach Doyle then smacked a two-RBI single for a 3-2 lead. From there, a wild pitch sent Matt Chavez home, a passed ball plated Doyle, and Matt Leiterman ripped a two-RBI single. When the dust settled and the teams headed toward the sixth inning, the hosts held a 7-2 edge.

The Goldpanners have now scored one run through the first four innings of their first two games combined and 17 through the final five innings of their two games combined.

Doyle records team’s first fence-clearer of the year

The Waves recorded two home runs between the two weekend games before the Goldpanners notched their first of the season. But after accumulating 13 runs between the two games, the ‘Panners finally went yard when Doyle sent a ball slapping off of the old scoreboard in right field.

Doyle, a recent high school graduate headed to UC Irvine, recorded four runs and three hits in a team-high five at-bats.

Waves’ stolen bases hurt ‘Panners early

The Waves earned their first score in the top of the first inning when their leadoff batter, Easton Mains, stole two bases, including home plate. The Waves piled up five stolen bases over the course of the game. That looked to be an issue for the ‘Panners until they prevented any steals from the fifth inning on and turned off the water on that portion of the visitors’ offense.

From there, the Goldpanners scored multiple runs off of stolen bases themselves in the back half of the game. Their early permissiveness could be owed in part to a lack of cohesiveness for a team that’s playing its first games together and is still waiting for a portion of its roster to arrive from their respective colleges.

Heat wave

The hottest day of the year marked Fairbanks’ first Saturday of baseball in 2024. Temperatures crested 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, but both teams were undaunted in their wardrobe choices with the Goldpanners wearing navy blue and the Waves donning black.

Sunday at the ballpark should be just as hot as Saturday night, with temperatures expected to reach the mid-70s during the mid-afternoon game.

If the conclusion of the school year didn’t tip you off to the idea that summer has arrived in Fairbanks, the return of the Goldpanners and the weather they brought with them should.