Brent Clapper, a 6-foot-2 right-hander from Concordia University in Irvine, Calif., worked 6 1/3 innings to get the win and the Panners worked their way out of jams in the eighth and ninth innings to start the season with a 3-0 record.
Mike Rivera got the Panners out of the eighth inning when he came out of the bullpen and his first pitch was knocked into a double play. When Rivera walked the first batter in the ninth, manager Jim Dietz turned to Nick Varriale of Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Ore.
The 5-8, 160-pound right-hander struck out the first two Bucs he faced and had two strikes on the next batter before issuing a walk and a base hit, loading the bases with Bucs.
The next batter hit a hard grounder that bounced off the chest of Panner first-baseman Robbie Buller, who grabbed the ball and beat the batter to first base to end the game.
The Panners had several chances to add to their two first-inning runs, but never capitalized.
The Panners will put their unbeaten record on the line at 7 tonight when they host the Lake Erie Monarchs in the first of three games at Growden Memorial Park.
The Monarchs have won five of their six games in Alaska.
Contact sports editor Bob Eley at beley@newsminer.com
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