North, South split All-Star contests

By Chris Brennaman / Assistant Sports Editor

June 06, 2009 11:21 pm

— PEARL — After the North squad come from behind to win the Crossroads Diamond Club Class 1A/2A/3A All-Star game, the South rebounded to win the 4A/5A game at Trustmark Park on Saturday.
In the small schools’ game, the North scored four runs over the last two innings to win 6-4.
With the South leading by two, the North pushed across a run in the top of the eighth and three more in the ninth.
The North squad made it 4-3 in the eighth on a fielder’s choice by Hunter Manness. Will Wallace scored on the play.
Wallace then tied the game in the top of the ninth with an RBI single that scored Jacob Long. Two more runs scored — giving the North a 6-4 lead — on a seeing-eye single by Kyle Montet with two outs.
The North got on the board first with back-to-back RBI-hits in the top of the fourth inning. Craig Bullock doubled to right to plate Richie Long before moving to third on an errant throw by Lake’s Dwayne Gammage. Bullock came home on a seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield by Ben Kingsley.
The South tied the game at two in the bottom of the frame. Billy Hamilton led off with a hit to left that the speedster stretched into a double. He was driven in by Jared Miller, who scored on Gammage’s fielder’s choice.
Southeast Lauderdale’s Shay Cooper was one of the coaches for the South team, which had four area players on the roster.
In the bottom of the sixth, the South took its first lead of the game as Andrew Pierce hit a two-out single to center. He scored when Preston Edwards hit a high fly ball to left field that Chris Chadwick lost in the sun.
Newton’s Kevin Harris added to the South lead in the seventh after leading off the frame with an infield single. Harris stole second and moved to third when Lake senior Colton Mitchell grounded out to the pitcher, who later threw a wild pitch that scored Harris.
Harris went 1-for-2 and scored a pair of runs, while Newton County’s Tyler Robinson finished the day 1-for-3. Mitchell and Gammage both pitched in the game, striking out two batters apiece.

CLASS 4A/5A
South 9
North 4

The South scored four runs in the fourth inning and cruised to the five-run victory.
Already leading 4-2, the South sent nine batters to the plate in the frame with four of the first five batters walking before Meridian’s Kenny Roberts singled to left, driving in the second run of the inning. Bales drew an RBI walk and Roberts scored on a wild pitch to end the fourth-inning scoring.
Darren Farmer scored for the North in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly. The West Lauderdale standout led off the inning with a double down the left-field line and moved to third on a groundout.
After the South added a run in the top of the eighth, Farmer had another leadoff double in the eighth, and again scored on a groundout to make it a 9-4 game.
The South struck first in the opening inning with a trio of runs. James Abraham and Roberts scored on a single up the middle by Jared Bales, whose courtesy runner scored on Anthony Izzio’s single.
It became a one-run game in the bottom of the second after Ethan Bright led off with a single to right. He moved to second on a walk by Jayson Keel and scored on a Tyler Aldridge single. Keel came home on a groundout by Adam Thigpen.
The South added one run in the third when Zach DeSoto led off with a ground-rule double and scored on a double by Bales.
Four more runs came home in the top of the fourth as the South made it an 8-2 game, sending nine batters to the plate in the frame. Four of the first five batters walked before Roberts singled to left, driving in the second run of the inning. Bales drew an RBI walk and Roberts scored on a wild pitch to end the fourth-inning scoring.