Following the pregame festivities, the crowd came to life as the historic matchup got underway. It didn’t take long for the Glacier Pilots to strike. After recording two quick outs, Goldpanners starter Conner Wolf ran into trouble.

A walk and a single put two runners on for Landon Tiesing, who opened the scoring with a three-run homer over the right-field fence. It highlighted a four-run first inning for Anchorage, who stormed out of the gate with three hits and two walks.

Wolf returned to the mound for the second and again recorded two quick outs before Anchorage added another clutch RBI, ending his outing. His final line reflected 1.2 innings of work, five hits, two strikeouts, two walks and five earned runs.

Lukas Sarantos entered in relief, looking to stop the damage. He struck out the final batter of the second inning, sending the game to the bottom of the frame with Anchorage leading 5-0.

However, the next score once again belonged to the Glacier Pilots. In the bottom of the third, two additional runs were added on a Wes Mazey double, extending their lead to 7-0.

Sarantos returned for the fourth and delivered the first scoreless inning of the night, retiring the side in order after Anchorage had scored in each of the first three frames.

Looking to provide a spark for the hosts, Evan Rolbiecki led off the fifth with a single, the Goldpanners’ first hit since the second inning, when Vincent Venverloh did the same. This time, the hit came with no outs as the team looked to rally in the middle innings.

Alex Garcia followed with another single, putting runners on first and second, but a fielder’s choice and a double play ended the threat, leaving the Goldpanners with three hits and no runs through five innings.

One swing finally put them on the board in the sixth. Ian Armstrong launched a solo home run to left, cutting the deficit to 7-1. The ‘Panners added a second run later in the frame on a sacrifice fly from Venverloh, making it 7-2 heading into the seventh.

The final third of the game quieted down, with the score holding steady until the final out as the Goldpanners fell to the Glacier Pilots in the Midnight Sun Game, dropping to 8-4 on the season.

Despite the loss, the significance of playing in the Midnight Sun Game wasn’t lost on the Goldpanners, who embraced the unique moments the historic event offers each year.

“It’s just surreal. There’s nowhere else you can play right now with this many people here and be that awesome,” Gonzales said. “Win or lose, and it’s tough to lose, this is a cool event.”

Each of the team’s four hits came from a different player — Ian Armstrong (1-for-4), Vincent Venverloh (1-for-3), Evan Rolbiecki (1-for-4) and Alex Garcia (1-for-3).

Pitching duties were split among Conner Wolf, Lukas Sarantos, Jack Clark and Hunter Beck. Sarantos logged the longest outing, throwing 4.1 innings with three hits, three strikeouts, one walk and one earned run. Clark and Beck combined for three scoreless innings to close out the game.

One game remains between the two rivals, as the Goldpanners host the Glacier Pilots on Saturday at 5 p.m. for the series finale. Each team has earned a win in the first two matchups.

“It’s going to be a good one,” Gonzales said. “I think this has been good for us, these first couple series ... if we’re not hitting, if we’re not playing right, we’re not going to win. These teams have been good teams. We just have to be better.”