Announcement
TIGRES/BEACH BUMS COMBO SQUAD PREVAILS IN TRIPLE A ALL STAR GAME
The American All Stars held off the Nationals 9-6 in the 18AAA All Star game Thursday, June 13 at Dyer Park in Riviera Beach.
In the first two innings, it looked like the Nationals, featuring players from the Badgers and Manatees would blow the Americans, consisting of Tigres and Beach Bums representatives, right off the field.
They jumped on starter Miguel Pena for seven runs in his three innings of work, with two in the first and two in the second inning. Danny Miranda (Badgers) tripled to lead off the game, and scored on a single by Badgers' teammate Eduardo Godines. Godines stole second base and scored on a hit by the Badgers' Josh Broadwater. Three hits and a catcher's throwing error on a pickoff attempt at third base accounted for two more runs in the second.
Danny Laperna and Drew Davis, both Manatees, singled, with LaPerna scoring on Miranda's RBI single, and Davis scoring on the errant throw at third base.
The Americans came back with three in the second inning on an infield hit by the Tigres' Jose Carea, who went to second on an infield throwing error. Nick Adames of the Tigres singled him in and scored on a booming triple to right by the Beach Bums' Steve Caraccio. Caraccio scored on an infield error to chop the Nationals' lead to 4-3.
The Americans scored without a hit to tie it in the third inning on an infield error, two walks, a stolen base and two wild pitches. They took the lead for good in the fourth inning on a hit by Ryan Togher (Beach Bums), a wild pitch, an infield out and another wild pitch.
In the fifth, the Americans widened their lead to 8-4 with three runs. A walk to Joe Davis (Bech Bums), an error and a two run single by the Beach Bums' Lars Knepper gave them their four run lead. Rob Conver of the Tigres doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and stole home to make it 9-4.
American All Star pitchers mowed the Nationals down from the third to seventh innings on only one hit and posting eleven strikeouts. Conver (2IP, 1H, 3Ks), Knepper (1IP, 0H, 2Ks) and Davis (2IP, 0H, 1W, 6Ks) kept the Nationals off the board.
The National squad got their final two runs in the ninth off Gustavo Lopez (Tigres). After a scoreless 8th, Lopez was touched for a pair on a single by Matt Zelgewitz (Badgers), an RBI double by Broadwater, his third hit of the game, and a sacrifice fly by the Badgers' Roger Jimenez. Lopez gave up a bunt single to Justin Irby (Badgers), but settled down to strike out the last two batters to end the game.
Conver of the Tigres was selected as the game's Most Valuable Player. He was the winning pitcher with two scoreless innings, scored three runs, stole two bases and had a two bagger.
18AA--WILDNESS LEADS TO WILD NINE RUN INNING
The South squad, led by the division leading Thunder, came to the All Star game Wednesday, June 12 with a severe shortage of pitching and it showed as the North team, headed up by the Gators, who also are division leaders, scored a 14-2 romp at Dyer Park in Riviera Beach.
The South put the first tally on the board in the top of the second inning with an unearned run. Dargel Gomez (Colt 45s) reached first on an error, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an infield roller by his Colt 45s teammate Luis Martinez. After that, the fortunes turned.
In the bottom of the third, the South took a 3-1 lead when Joe Mazzeo (Marlins) walked, stole second and scored on a base hit by Marlins' teammate Steve Mulligan, who eventually scored on a wild pitch and an infield error. Carlos Jimenez (Gators) singled in the third run of the inning.
It was the fateful fourth inning when things came completely apart for the South. Five walks, two wild pitches, a hit batter, two errors, a two run single by winning pitcher Alex Williams (Marlins), and RBI hits by Yosvany Garcia (Gators), Mike Roy (Dodgers) and Jiminez resulted in nine runs in a 15-batter inning that pretty much sealed the game.
After the South scored it's only other run in the top of the fifth on a double by Martinez and an RBI single by Jose Resendiz (Colt 45s), the North made it 13-2 on a walk, two hit batters and a catcher's throwing error on a pickoff attempt in the bottom of the fifth.
Gators' first baseman Eduardo Del Toro almost ended the game on a "run rule" with a booming double that just missed clearing the fence in deep left center field. Del Toro settled for a double, and eventually scored on two wild pitches in the bottom of the 7th, as the league's 12-run differential rule after seven inning kicked in to end the game.
Williams got the win, the loss went to South starter Tony Sergio (Colt 45s), although the "bullpen" gave up eleven of the 14 North runs. Williams went four, with Ronal Diaz (Gators) pitching the last three. The South used three other pitchers.
Jimenez, who was 3 for 4 with two runs batted in, was selected as the game's Most Valuable Player.
