Chad Nading grew up an Anchorage Bucs fan, his family housed Bucs players and he hoped one day to don the black-and-gold jersey.
That day came Friday, and it couldn't have gone much better for the 6-foot-5 pitcher.
Nading spun four innings of scoreless relief to give Anchorage every chance to come back in a game it ended up losing 8-4 to the Fairbanks Goldpanners at Mulcahy Stadium.
"It was pure adrenaline for me," Nading said. "Heard the name early in the game, and I knew I had to go in and give us good innings. I felt I did that."
He did that and more. Nading was dominant, allowing just one hit while striking out four, using a fastball and changeup to stymie the Goldpanners.
"Got up there throwing as hard as I could and using my offspeed pitch to get some outs," Nading said.
Nading entered the game in the second inning with a pair of runners on base and the Goldpanners leading 5-1.
He got Sean Bard to fly to centerfield, walked Chris Lum and then induced Paul Martin, a .341 hitter, to hit into an inning-ending double play
Nading joined the Bucs after his college team, Oregon State, won its second-straight College World Series. Nading, a redshirt at Oregon State, hadn't thrown a live pitch, excluding one inning in an Anchorage Adult League contest Tuesday, since an intra-squad scrimmage at Oregon State nearly two months ago.
His last competitive outing was at the American Legion regionals in Casper, Wyo., with East Post 34 late last summer.
Nading had pitched on the Mulcahy mound in high school and during Legion games, but doing it as a Buc against Division I college players was different.
"I've been around this field for so long," Nading said. "It was about time I got the jersey on and I get to go out there playing for the Bucs. It was special."
As the game wore on, Nading looked stronger, completing the fifth inning with a pair of strikeouts.
"I was on a roll, and I was hopping up on the mound looking for the ball. I just wanted it back in my hand so I could go back to work," Nading said. "I could spot my fastball. That's key for me, especially because sometimes I have control issues. Today I didn't have that problem."
Nading hopes he can work stints of three or four innings the rest of the season and maybe get a start of two. But Friday was special, and friends and family were in the stands to see it.
"It's hometown baseball," Nading said. "People I grew up with that have always been out there to root me on and encourage me, (they were) staying true and watching me throw."
Nading twice took care of Martin, once on the double-play and a second time on a swinging strikeout.
"He's really over the top -- the ball has a lot of downward angle," Martin said. "He got the best of me both at bats. He's a pretty good pitcher."
Clay Calfee hit a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning for the Bucs, who struggled with four errors.
The Bucs also squandered several scoring chances. Louis Ullrich flied out to centerfield, stranding runners at second and third base in the fifth inning. Jared Gayheart grounded to shortstop with the bases loaded to end the seventh.
Before Nading entered the game, the Goldpanners were wreaking havoc. Gabe Jacobo, a Bucs outfielder converted to a shortstop, committed two errors in the first inning that led to three runs.
Brent Wyatt cracked a two-RBI double in the second inning that provided all the scoring the Goldpanners needed to salvage the final game of the three-game series and end a four-game losing streak
"We came out swinging a little bit, and we needed hits back to back," Martin said. "This one hopefully should turn it around for us."
Brian Singler can be found online at www.adn.com/contact/bsingler or by phone at 257-4335.
