East Survives Furious Rally for 11-10 Win

When the game was finally over, Steve Marden gave it his best I-was-never-really-worried grin. After all, his team took a seven-run lead into the ninth inning of Saturday’s Bernie Milligan All-Star Game, and a lead like that doesn’t disappear often.

In fact, several hundred fans did their own vanishing act in the ninth, heading out to the parking lot, reasoning--like Marden and the rest of the East team--that this game was firmly in hand.

“The problem was, about the seventh or eighth inning, I saw people starting to get up and leave,” quipped Marden, the East co-coach. “We had to do something to bring them on back.”

The West brought itself right back into the game, scoring seven runs in the ninth to forge a tie before the East scrambled for a run in the bottom of the inning to take a wild, 11-10 win at Cal State Northridge.

This one seemed under control until the wacky ninth, which went about as smoothly as a Dodger Stadium parking lot traffic jam.

“I was standing there in the ninth joking around with (West third-base coach) Joel Wolfe and everything seemed fine,” said East third baseman Jeff Antoon, who hit the game’s only home run, a three-run shot to left off Scott Sharts in the fifth that gave the East a 9-3 lead. “And then I kick that ground ball and everything went a little crazy.”

Antoon watched from the batter’s box as the winning run scored in the ninth for the East--winner of three consecutive Milligan games and five of the past six. With one out, Mark David singled down the third base line off loser Dan Carroll. Designated-hitter Don Dodson then struck out, but advanced to first when catcher Mike LeCocq missed the third strike, David taking third on the play.

With Antoon at the plate, Carroll caught Dodson leaning and threw to first baseman Cavarretta. After looking David back at third, Cavarretta fired to shortstop Eldridge, but David trotted home for the game-winner when the ball glanced off Eldridge’s chest into center field.

The ending had nothing on the manner in which the score was tied, however. Left-hander Olonzo Woodfin, who missed most of the season because of a broken ankle, probably wished he had missed this game, too.

Woodfin, an All-City pitcher last year, opened the door for the West by walking Mike Schlesinger and Steve Kovacic to open the inning. Antoon then booted a ground ball by Darren Aurand to load the bases, which brought some of those early departures back for another look. “I guess you never know,” West catcher Mike Kerber said. “You have to keep looking on the bright side.”

The West’s next ray of hope, LeCocq, kept the rally alive the hard way when Woodfin plunked him to force in a run. Woodfin walked Brian Roth to force in another, cutting the lead to 10-5.

“It really isn’t Olonzo’s fault,” Marden said. “He hasn’t been pitching lately, and, with the great three years he’s had, we just wanted to give him the opportunity to finish the game.”

Four batters later, Woodfin was finished, but only after Brian Eldridge and Mark Cavarretta each singled in two more runs, paring the lead to 10-9. Marden finally summoned Dodson, who retired Schlesinger on a grounder to second for the second out, but Eldridge scored from third on the play to tie the score.

Left-handed starter Greg Nealon, who pitched three scoreless innings and allowed one hit for the East, was named the game’s most valuable player.