ALL-STAR BASEBALL GAME : Pitchers Control the Action as South Team Defeats North
Pitchers dominated Tuesday’s Orange County All-Star baseball game, won by the South, 5-3.
Five South pitchers limited the North to four hits and had 13 strikeouts. The North also got 13 strikeouts and allowed five hits.
“You had a lot of guys out there throwing in the 80s,” South Coach Steve Barrett said. “When you have overpowering pitchers like that, it’s tough to get hits.”
The few that did hit the ball were the somewhat unlikely.
Irvine’s Scott Seal had gone without a home run all season after hitting seven a year ago. That drought ended when he connected on a 1-2 pitch in the bottom of the first. The bases-empty homer gave the South a 2-1 lead.
“I don’t know why I haven’t been able to hit one this season,” Seal said. “It was weird. We’d been having home-run derby contests in practice this week; maybe that helped. I felt real relaxed tonight.”
Brian Benner’s frustration had been a little more painful. The Capistrano Valley outfielder struggled all season because of tendinitis in his left wrist.
But Benner, whose average had dropped nearly 100 points this season, came up with a key two-run single in a three-run sixth inning that gave the South a 5-2 lead.
“It was really difficult to hit earlier this season,” Benner said. “The way the pitchers were going tonight, I was fortunate.”
Most weren’t.
Brea-Olinda’s Dan Miller had a double and a triple and scored two runs for the North, but the rest of the night belonged to the pitchers.
Buena Park’s Alfredo Garcia was the best of the bunch. He pitched three hitless innings, striking out five, and was named the game’s most valuable player. Villa Park’s Scott Henderson struck out five in 1 2/3 innings.
Westminster’s Keith Cowley went two innings for the South, striking out four, and was the winning pitcher. Huntington Beach’s Ryan Brannan and Century’s Tommy Reimers each struck out three.
In fact, the only pitcher not to have a good night was Katella’s George Schalip. He faced five batters in the sixth, walking four and hitting one. He left trailing, 3-2.
