15,000+ Heartland Baseball League fans packed Predators Park today to watch the best players in both leagues go head to head in the annual All-Star game.
The visiting North came out swinging against Canton's Jerry Douglas. Douglas got the start and entered the game with a 10-8 record and a sub three ERA.
After John Henderson(DAV) grounded out on the first pitch of the game it took Rochester's Bob Lloyd two pitches to slap a double down the right field line.
Cedar Rapids CF Bill Burks followed with a single putting runners at first and third and the most feared hitter in the HBL coming to the plate, Reapers 1B Roger Picot.
Picot slightly disappointed with a ground out but he did manage to put the North on top 1-0. South Bend slugger Dave Donnelly gave the fans what they
wanted with a 356 foot blast that cleared the left field wall and pushed the North lead to 3-0 before the South ever picked up a bat.
Kenosha's Dillon Anderson got the call for the North and he gave up a leadoff single to rising superstar William Fitzpatrick of Columbia. Fitzpatrick quickly stole
second and moved to third on Quentin Childs(OSH) throwing error. He would then score on an Anderson wild pitch narrowing the gap to 3-1. In the bottom of the second Anderson would then
give up a one out solo homer to Lafayette rookie Jesse Woodruff to put the South within one run.
The score would remain 3-2 until the top of the sixth when Picot would wow the crowd with a 391 foot shot to left-center field to lead off the inning and give the North a 4-2 cushion.
In the bottom of the inning an RBI double by Jim Lee(SPR) and an RBI single by Patrick Crane(DAY) would even the score at four each. Chris Carey(BC) a Matt Patton(SPR) ground out to end the threat and leave two runners on.
In the top of the eighth Cliff Smith(CR) would put the North ahead with a solo homer off of Tim Shelton of Springfield, the North's third homer of the game.
With Ed Carpenter(DUL) entering the game in the bottom of the ninth with a one run lead most figured the game to be over. Carpenter is one of the best
closers in the league and he entered the game with a 2.28 ERA and 18 saves in 22 chances. Carpenter recorded the first out when Crane popped out to centerfield.
Patton then doubled down the left field line putting the tying run at second. Bill Thompson(LAF) slapped a routine grounder to short that Frank Jacobs(BC) fumbled
putting runners at first and third with just one out. Joe Newman(JEC) stepped to the plate and after a long mound visit the North skipper elected to leave
Carpenter in the game. Carpenter got ahead of Newman 0-2 Newman looked at the first pitch and whiffed at the second. Newman took the next pitch and slammed
it off the wall in right center. Patton scored easily to tie the game and as the ball kicked away from the North outfielders the 220 pound Thompson lumbered home
with the game winning run.
The host team closer, Dusty Mills, would get the win while Carpenter would get hit with the loss. Surprisingly Donnelly, not Newman, would be named the game's MVP.
