Sun's Stan Antonuk Hits Three Home Runs

Stan Antonuk came to the Freeport Suns this summer with impressive credentials.

The big first baseman graduated from Gaston High School this spring after a senior season in which he hit over .600. Early in the season, Antonuk had a two-homer game for the Suns, then he struggled through the first half of May.

But he found his stroke early this month, he continued to hit as the Suns claimed the title at the Johson Maple Summer Tournament last week, and with the state tournament just around the corner, Stan Antonuk’s early-season struggles appear to be just a distant memory.

Antonuk, who had already hit two home runs in a game twice this month and three times this summer, became the first player in the team's brief history to record a three-homer game when he turned the trick in consecutive at-bats in a victory on Wednesday.

The Suns' 7th win in a row and 27th win in 30 games wrapped up the best-of-three tournament and probably earned them the top seed in the state tournament, which begins Sunday.

Antonuk's big day also earned him a perk from Sun’s coach J.T..

"Stan Antonuk crushed the ball today," said coach J.T., who revived baseball here last summer after the area had been without a team since 2006. "I told him if he went 3-for-3 and hit three home runs, he could pitch."

True to his word, coach sent Antonuk to the mound in the top of the eighth -- for one batter. He walked the batter on a 3-2 pitch leading off the inning and was promptly replaced.

J.T. said he was a lot happier with his team's effort Wednesday than he was on Tuesday, when the Suns beat the Chiefs 10-6.

"Our pitchers did a good job today, and we hit the ball better than we did yesterday," J.T. said after seeing his club pound out 13 hits -- seven for extra bases -- to improve to 34-11 on the season.

Former Pastari High ace Dan Smith (9-3 on the season but 7-1 in games he has started this summer) got the start and worked six crisp innings, striking out eight and throwing first-pitch strikes to four of the first five batters he faced. He allowed three hits -- a double (on his first pitch of the game) and single to leadoff hitter Gerard Lancer and a single to eight-hole hitter Ray White -- and gave up an unearned run in the fifth with the help of the only error of the game.

"Dan really threw the ball well," J.T. said.

Suns Continue Hot Streak

With the Suns playing their best ball of the season, the Thrashers could have only hoped for an off day for Saturday’s game. No such luck. By the time the Thrashers pushed across their only run, the Suns had built an 8-0 lead, with Stan Antonuk and all-stater Jay Cary doing most of the damage.

Antonuk followed a leadoff single by Hewitt in the second with his first homer of the game, a majestic shot over the fence in left, to make it 2-0 and kick-start a five-run rally capped by Joe Perote's RBI double to left to score Billy Thompson.

The other two runs in the inning were the result of the first of three Donaldson errors in the game. With Jake Jones at first base after reaching on a fielder's choice, Tim Hammel laid down a perfect bunt to the left side. Thrashers third baseman Luke Simmons fielded the ball cleanly but threw wildly past first base, allowing Jones to score and Hammel to advance to third.

Graham then tried to squeeze with Hunter Marcum on a 2-0 pitch, but Marcum missed an outside pitch that went all the way to the backstop, and, as a result, Williams ended up with a steal of home to put Ada up 4-0.

Stan Antonuk hit his second home run -- a line drive that landed 30 feet beyond the left field fence -- with one out in the third to make it 6-0, and the Suns added two more runs in the fourth on fly ball doubles by Hamilton with one out (on a ball the outfielders appeared to lose in the sun) and Thompson (which fell behind first base and plated Hamilton) and a sharp RBI single to left by Ford.

The Suns scored five times on just two hits in the fifth, but both were home runs -- a line drive over the fence in left by Stan Antonuk leading off and an inside-the-park job by Hamilton that was easily the strangest home run of the season.

After Antonuk's blast, Anderson was hit by a pitch, Smith walked and Ed Grogan was hit by a pitch to load the bases and bring on Turner in relief of Thrashers starting pitcher. Turner quickly got ahead of Hamilton 1-2, but his fourth pitch was a fastball that the second basemen ripped into the gap in left-center.

The ball rolled to the wall, where center fielder Martinez -- who had moved from shortstop to the outfield when the Thrashers made their pitching change -- attempted to pick it up. But his left foot got stuck under the fence as Suns raced around the bases. By the time he attempted to flip the ball to left fielder Smith, Hamilton was chugging toward third, and he scored standing up without a throw for his second home run of the season -- both of them grand slams.

Stan Antonuk's three-homer explosion gave him four in the tournament and pushed him past Grogan for the team lead with 13 this season. Hamilton and Smith, the 1-2 hitters in the lineup, added two hits apiece, and Hammel was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBIs in the win.