“They’re getting to know each other,” Goldpanners third-base coach and hitting instructor Dave Dawson said post-game. “I thought they did pretty well. We had some good at-bats where we really worked the count and got ourselves in some hitters’ counts, and we were able to execute the small ball, lay some bunts down. That was huge, really. If we don’t get a couple bunts down tonight, then we didn’t get those guys in scoring position. Then we had some good timely hits.”

The Goldpanners won in spite of recording just seven hits compared to 12 for their opponent. Owen Dunn earned the win for the ‘Panners, relenting just two runs in five full innings while the visitors from Charlotte, North Carolina played four pitchers in the same time span.

“That was huge because we’re still getting guys here and getting everything settled,” Dawson said of Dunn’s effort. “And to be able to get a good quality start and save the bullpen, it was good.”

Dunn gave up a single to the first batter he faced due to a communication error between him and his first baseman, but he struck out the next three batters he faced, including overcoming a 3-0 count for the third out.

The Goldpanners’ offense then set the tone. Third baseman Cole Dawson reached first base with a bunt but was sent back to the dugout when second baseman Sloan Barrett reached first base on a fielder’s choice. Kingsmen pitcher Nolan Alexander then walked catcher Ian Armstrong and left fielder Evan Rolbiecki to load the bases with one out.

Barrett scored on a sacrifice fly from shortstop Luke Thiele. Alexander, who threw 20 balls in his first 30 pitches, reloaded the bases after doming designated hitter Efren Ortega. Right fielder Hunter Friedberg being walked allowed Armstrong to score the Goldpanners’ second run.

First baseman Alex Garcia, back for his fourth season with the team, plated two more teammates with a double for a 4-0 lead. The North Pole High School graduate reached first base on all five of his at-bats Friday, getting walked four times.

“I was just seeing the ball really well,” Garcia said postgame. “I haven’t gotten a live at-bat in probably a month, and first time back, I was just seeing the ball really well in front of the home crowd.”

Kingsmen went three up, three down in the second inning. The Goldpanners were kept off the board in the second inning despite loading the bases after their first two hitters recorded flyouts.

A double play halted the visitors’ momentum after they opened the third inning with a pair of singles. The third inning brought a third different pitcher for Kingsmen, Isaias Moreno, but he fared better than his peers and escaped without any additional runs being added to Alaska’s 4-0 advantage.

Kingsmen got on the board in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI triple from Ethan Bonocore, who helped Alan Benhardt reach home after a single and then scored himself on a teammate’s groundout.

The Goldpanners put two runners in scoring position with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, but Bonocore made a diving catch for the third out. After Dunn made quick work of the visitors in the fifth inning, the Goldpanners again put two runners in scoring position and Dawson brought them home with an RBI single, ending Alaska’s three-inning scoreless streak.

Jeremy Maldonado took over on the mound for Alaska to start the sixth inning and he allowed one run but then recorded three consecutive outs after the visitors put two more runners on the corners.

After the Goldpanners’ first two batters of the sixth inning recorded outs, the next three got on base by being walked or hit by a pitch, and Kingsmen inserted a fifth different pitcher. With the bases loaded, centerfielder Ismael Diaz found a gap for a two-RBI single, scoring Ortega and Friedberg for an 8-3 lead.

In the seventh inning, the ‘Panners relented a run and went three up, three down. Kingsmen scored another run in the eighth inning after an infield error, and then Josh Jackson (who had gone 0-for-3 after reaching first base on the Goldpanners’ first infield error) belted a two-RBI double after facing a 1-2 count.

With Jackson looming on third base as the potential tying run, Andrew Banda came in and struck out his first batter looking for the third out of the inning.

With their lead cut to one run, the Goldpanners responded by loading the bases. They doubled their slim lead when Thiele scored via a sacrifice fly from Diaz.

Banda forced two groundouts with nice throws from Thiele, with one single in between, but Vince Santostefano then smacked an RBI double to make the score 9-8 in the top of the ninth. Thiele clinched the one-run victory by making his third throw across the diamond to first base of the inning.

The Goldpanners conclude their weekend series against Kingsmen Baseball on Sunday at 2 p.m.