Goldpanners rally for opening win at NBC World Series, 10-7
Photo courtesy of Kristen Pearson
Vincent Venverloh (pictured) hit a two-run home run in the Goldpanners’ July 7 win over the Pro-Am All-Stars.
Caleb Jones - Daily News-Miner
July 26, 2025
The Goldpanners opened play at the National Baseball Congress World Series on Saturday with a matchup against the GPS Legends, kicking off pool play in their pursuit of a postseason tournament title.
After falling behind early, the Goldpanners mounted a late comeback, fueled by rallies in the sixth and eighth innings, to secure a 10-7 victory.
Both teams got on the board in the first inning with RBI singles, as Hudson Hartgrove delivered for the Legends, while Matthew Pinal responded for the Goldpanners, bringing in Owen Meli.
The Legends extended their lead with a run in the third and two more in the fourth, pushing the score to 5-1. The Goldpanners struggled defensively early on, committing three errors over the first four innings.
It was their largest deficit of the game, trailing near the halfway point. But the comeback began soon after. David Shackelford drove in a run in the bottom of the fourth to spark the rally and trim the gap to three.
In the sixth, the Legends began to stumble. Four of the first five batters reached on walks, with the lone exception being a single by Christian Olea. The Goldpanners quickly pulled within one, still with no outs.
Although Olea’s was the only hit of the inning, steady pressure and productive outs brought more runs across. A bases-loaded walk to Hunter Friedberg later in the frame capped the rally, as the Goldpanners exited the inning with a 7-5 lead.
With the lead now in hand, the Goldpanners aimed to close it out, but the Legends weren’t done. In the seventh, Hartgrove delivered again, launching a two-run homer to tie the game at 7-7.
Alaska responded in the eighth with one final scoring surge. A single from Pinal followed by a double from Vincent Venverloh brought home the go-ahead runs, securing the final score of 10-7.
The Goldpanners tallied 13 hits in the win and drew seven walks. Pinal led the offense, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while Olea also went 3-for-5. Ian Armstrong added a 2-for-5 effort with an RBI. In total, the team drove in 10 runs, with Pinal and Venverloh collecting two each to share the team lead.
Conner Wolf got the start for Alaska, going 4.0 innings and allowing three earned runs on seven hits. He recorded three strikeouts and issued two walks.
Out of the bullpen, Brent Godina, Jake Covey and Jack Clark combined to close out the final five innings, allowing just two earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
With the win, the Goldpanners extended their winning streak to 13 games and improved to 1-0 in Pool D at the National Baseball Congress World Series. They continue group play on Sunday at 3 p.m. local time against Top Prospects Academy out of Southlake, Texas.
