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It’s unusual to see Jake Dunning hitting from the cleanup spot, but he certainly hit like a cleanup batter.

With the bases loaded, Dunning smacked a high fastball just to the right of second base, scoring two runs with a walk-off single in the 10th inning of the Alaska Goldpanners 8-7 win over Athletes in Action Fire in Alaska Baseball League action Wednesday night at Growden Memorial Park.

It was a sloppy offensive game for the Panners, who left multiple runners stranded four times.

That may be why Panners manager Tim Gloyd wasn’t talking like he’s won three straight games.

“Every change I made was wrong,” Gloyd said. “Starting with the lineup, running at the wrong time, and somehow it all worked out.

“The only good thing I did was send the runners in the 10th. ... That’s about the only move I made that was worth a crap.”

By ordering a hit-and-run with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning, the Panners avoided a double play and loaded the bases with a Matt Newman grounder to third base. That set the stage for Dunning.

Dunning’s single ended a back-and-forth game in which each team took the lead thrice, especially trading blows in the late innings.

The Fire overcame a 6-4 deficit in the ninth to force extra innings. Shortstop Jonathan Merritt grounded into a double play that scored right fielder Brint Hardy in the process. Panners pitcher Ryan Nyquist couldn’t get the last out before allowing three hits and an RBI single by Kevin Winn.

The Panners put three on base in the bottom of the ninth, but Dunning got caught attempting to steal second and the other two were left stranded, leaving the score at 6-6.

The Fire took advantage of the extra frame. Ryan Tompson had an RBI double to put AIA up 7-6 and place the pressure on the Panners heading into the bottom of the 10th.

The best hitting performance for the Panners came from a player who was questionable to even start the game.

After blocking a pitch with his right hand Tuesday, catcher Trent Diedrich showed he was playing at full strength by belting a three-run homer in the bottom of the second.

“(Pitcher Derek Sumner) just left his first pitch hanging,” he said. “He left it up, and I was able to react to it.”

Diedrich wasn’t done, putting the Panners ahead in the eighth by knocking in Casey Stevenson with a single, and he scored the tying run of Dunning’s game-ending hit.

All this less than a day after the Panners were worried he might have a broken hand.

“It’s still a little sore,” he said, “but nothing to cry home about.”

The other Alaska catcher to get hurt Tuesday, Jeremy Gillan, had a home run of his own, a solo shot in the seventh.

Despite the loss, Fire manager Mike Gillespie saw cause for hope in his team, which has lost three straight to the Panners.

“I know we’ve got the talent,” he said. “We’ve certainly improved.”

After watching the Panners rack up the score in late innings Tuesday, Gillespie was glad to see the Fire get some late runs and get back into the game.

“We kind of simplified it a little, got back to situational hitting,” he said.

Contact staff writer Joshua Armstrong at 459-7583.