Goldpanners hit 30-win mark ahead of home finale against Halos
Photo Courtesy of Kristen Pearson
Alex Garcia takes a swing in a regular season contest for the Alaska Goldpanners.
July 20, 2025
Caleb Jones - Daily News-Miner
The Goldpanners won the first five of a six-game series against the California Halos, improving to 30-5 on the season. One game remains at Growden Memorial Park, closing out both the series and their summer in Fairbanks.
“It’s hard to do in the summer — win 30 games, especially how we did it,” Goldpanners field manager Carlos Gonzales said. “I mean 30-5 is crazy at any level.”
They entered the series fresh off a five-game sweep of Team Philippines and wasted no time extending their win streak, opening with a 20-2 rout of the Halos on Wednesday. The next two games were tighter but still went the Goldpanners’ way, with final scores of 5-4 and 8-2.
From there, they added another lopsided win, blanking the Halos 12-0 and heading into the final two games at home aiming for back-to-back sweeps. By Sunday, they outscored their opponents 84-21 over their last nine games.
In a wild game Sunday, the Goldpanners overcame a six-run deficit in the second inning to pull out a 14-13 win — their 30th of the season. The game featured a combined 27 runs, 31 hits and nine errors.
Despite the early deficit, the Goldpanners remained unfazed. After rallying from behind previously this season, and with the offense performing as it has lately, no gap felt insurmountable.
“We knew we had a bullpen-type day today,” Gonzales said. “It’s a six-game series… [Raymond] Padilla went out there and competed, and you know, we made some errors behind him. But, he doesn’t care, he’s out there competing. I mean, with how we are hitting, I knew we had a chance to win this game.”
Reaching the 30-win mark is a major milestone for Alaska, surpassing last year’s 24-14-1 finish and showcasing a team in peak form.
Adding to the occasion, North Pole born, fourth-year player Alex Garcia played all nine positions in one of his final two career games on his home field.
“It was awesome man. Me and Carlos have been talking about that for two to three years now,” Garcia said of the feat. “I finally got the opportunity to do it. I’ve played all positions besides pitcher and catcher this season, so I was comfortable wherever I was at. It was an awesome day.”
Their upcoming home finale serves as the last tune-up before the National Baseball Congress World Series — a major event in the summer collegiate baseball scene and the closing stage to their 2025 season, running from July 24 to Aug. 2 in Wichita, Kansas.
“I’m excited,” Gonzales said. “I think we have a good group going to Wichita. We’re playing well — catching the ball, playing defense and hitting. So, I’m really looking forward to that. And the home finale, it’s bittersweet. It’s been a great summer, but it’s coming to an end, and it’s awesome here at Growden. I’m sure everyone is going to miss it.”
First pitch for Alaska’s final home game of the season is set for 6:30 p.m. on Monday.
“Fairbanks has had my back every year that I’ve been here, and hopefully I get the opportunity to come back next year as a coach, so I’m excited about that,” Garcia said about his final home game as a Goldpanner this season.
