By Jacob Noseworthy
After a busy day of Grand Forks International action on Saturday to determine the semifinalists, the North Sound Emeralds, Everett Merchants, Seattle Studs, and Alaska Goldpanners all took to the field at James Donaldson Park again on Sunday to determine who would be going on to the final game.
After the two entertaining semifinal matchups, the Alaska Goldpanners and Seattle Studs advanced to play in the final of the tournament later in the day.
4) Alaska Goldpanners 3 at 1) North Sound Emeralds 0
W: Nick Sparks L: Lucas Ford Home Plate Umpire: Joe Mallinson
After losing to the North Sound Emeralds 7-3 during the round-robin, the Alaska Goldpanners won when it mattered, winning the first semifinal 3-0 and ending the Emeralds’ unbeaten run and tournament.
The game was incredibly close through the first four innings with the score tied at zero, as North Sound failed to capitalize on the many opportunities they had, grounding out into a double play with the bases loaded in the first inning, leaving three men on base in the third, and leaving a runner stranded on third in the fourth.
In the fifth inning, the Goldpanners finally broke the deadlock as their first baseman Nick Ames hit a two-run home run to put Alaska up 2-0.
Alaska added an insurance run in the seventh inning thanks to a Nick Ames double and a North Sound error to go up 3-0, but it was unnecessary with the Emeralds kept off the scoreboard.
The only major mistake made in a solid performance by the Goldpanners was when catcher Tighe Koehring missed first base on his way to second and was thrown out at first in a unique 8-4-1-3 (centre fielder-second baseman-pitcher-first baseman) out.
The two outstanding players for Alaska in the game were home run hitter Nick Ames who earned three RBIs, and relief pitcher Andrew Fernandez who allowed no runs, no hits, and only one walk in his four innings on the mound.
7) Everett Merchants 5 at 3) Seattle Studs 6
W: Jesse Peters L: John Samons Home Plate Umpire: Steve Boutang
In a rematch of the 2015 GFI final between fierce Pacific International League rivals, the Seattle Studs came out on top again winning the close game 6-5 after 10 innings.
After a three-run bottom of the fifth, the Studs led 4-1, but the game was far from over.
Merchants third baseman Jake Levin hit a solo home run in the sixth inning to pull back within two, before an Austin Atwell single and a Peyton Cordova-Smith double in the eighth inning scored three runs for Everett, giving them a 5-4 lead.
After stranding runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth, Seattle needed at least one run in the ninth to keep their hopes of being the first team in GFI history to win three straight years alive.
Two walks, a balk, and a wild pitch allowed the Studs to have runners on first and third with no outs.
A sacrifice fly allowed Garrett Breda to score to tie the game, but the Studs were unable to score any more runs, forcing the game into extra innings.
Two strikeouts in the top of the tenth created a three up, three down half-inning, giving Seattle another chance to win.
First baseman Lorin Archibald walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch with two outs.
All it took was a single from shortstop Nic Anderson to win the game 6-5 for the Studs, putting them into the final against the Goldpanners.
For a recap of the final between the Alaska Goldpanners and Seattle Studs, check out the Grand Forks Gazette on Wednesday, July 5.
