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.