The tournament has long been a focal point for the Goldpanners, with recent games beforehand serving not only as competition but as final tune-ups for the NBC World Series.

Now under the postseason spotlight, Alaska has risen to the occasion. A come-from-behind win over the GPS Legends (10-7), a dominant run-rule victory against TPA Texas (15-6) and a shutout over the Junction City Brigade (2-0) have paved the way for a commanding start in Wichita.

“We kept it rolling,” Goldpanners’ field manager Carlos Gonzales said following the win over the Brigade. “I think we needed to keep it rolling, stay cocky and think we’re going to beat every team – and so far we have. Today was a 2-0 pitching duel, a good battle, and we played good defense.”

Three games remain in pursuit of a title. As the top squad of their group, the Goldpanners earned a bye into the quarterfinal round of the playoff bracket. It guarantees them a top-eight finish in the field, but the team is ready for more.

“I love it. For us, it’s just our pitching – if our pitching is fresh, we can beat anybody,” Gonzales said of having the bye. “So, all it does is give us one more day of our pitching getting better to go. We like [having the bye] – the players enjoy it. It’s hot here, so they want to stay in the hotel room if they can, so that’s a big deal.”

Their next contest comes on Thursday at noon local time against the Hutchinson Monarchs. The Monarchs defeated the Seattle Blackfins 9-0 in the opening round on Wednesday, advancing to face the Goldpanners.

As the bracket tightens and Alaska continues to surge, Gonzales stressed the importance of a well-rounded effort to sustain the team’s push for a championship.

“We just need to keep chugging along, keep catching the ball, pitching the ball well, and when we hit – we hit in spurts,” Gonzales said. “It’s coming along. We’re coming down to the bottom of it, we’re three wins away from winning everything. We just need to keep playing our own game.”

Recent form has the Goldpanners playing at their best. As the winning ways continue, the group aims to maintain a level mentality, focusing on playing the game in front of them the right way, rather than emphasizing sustained winning expectations.

“I think we just need to go game by game, we don’t think about that,” Gonzales said of the current winning streak. “We just want to play clean baseball regardless of what happens.”

NBC World Series action continues through Saturday, when the championship game will be played. The playoff rounds are single elimination, with each win moving the Goldpanners forward and any loss bringing their season to an end.