Announcement
All Star players from the Caribbean Tigres, Oasis Chamos and Rockhounds, playing as the North Division overcame a 3-2 deficit with two runs in the top of the 9th inning to beat the Southern All Stars (Home Run Sports Dodgers, Scrappers and Indians) 4-3 at Lantana Sports Complex December 19.
Chris Reynolds (Chamos) walked, stole second and scored on a double by Eric Morales (Rockhounds) to tie the game at 3-3. Jim Oberdier (Rockhounds) singled him to third, and Dave Page (Rockhounds) sacrificed. With first base open, the South walked Dave Machado (Chamos) intentionally to load the bases. Melvin Bruno (Tigres) hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Morales with the winning run. The rally came at the expense of losing pitcher Alvaro Gomez (Indians), who pitched only one inning. Brian Holden (Dodgers) pitched three (run, three hits, three strikeouts), Matt Weihs (Scrappers) went the next three (one run, two hits, one walk, four strikeouts). Ryan McDonald (Dodgers) pitched the seventh and eighth, giving up no hits, no runs, walking two and fanning one.
The North scored in the third on singles by Morales and Oberdier and a fielder’s choice by Page, scoring Morales from third. They made it 2-0 in the fifth when Jose Acuna (Tigres) doubled, and Marlon Herndandez drew a walk. And after Acuna stole third, he and Hernandez executed a double steal.
North pitchers Acuna and Alexis Sosa threw blanks and combined for twelve strikeouts over the first five. Acuna yielded two hits and fanned six. Sosa fanned seven in two hitless innings. Two runners reached on a passed ball and a wild pitch. One of them, Damon Gammons, was cut down attempting to steal third. Jose Espino (Tigres) pitched a scoreless sixth, but the South scored two unearned runs off him in the next inning. Gammons walked, stole second and scored on a two base throwing error on a grounder to second by Johnson. Johnson stole third, then scored on a single by the Scrappers’ Matt Weihs.
The South took the lead with another unearned run in the 8th off Gustavo Lopez (Tigres). Jason Plocek singled home Greg Walling (Indians) who had singled, stole second and went to third on a pssed ball.
Lopez retired the side in order and just after the final out was registered, the timed sprinklers went off. Five minutes later a softball rainfall also doused the area, a fitting ending to the 2007 portion of the Fall League schedule, except for two make up games on Dec. 30.
Morales, with two hits, including a double, a run batted in and two scored, received the NABA’s MVP plaque as the game’s Most Valualbe Player.
18AA ALL STARS-EAST RALLIES FROM SIX DOWN TO WIN
The East Division All Stars found themselves down by 6-0 going to the bottom of the fifth. Then, it was like watching a brand new game. The East scored the next thirteen runs for a 13-6 victory over the West under the lights at the Lantana Sports Complex on December 18.
The West scored four in the first on hits by Pat Wilson (Braves) and Yo Perez and Nestor Sanjurjo of the Sugar Kings, three hit batters, two errors and three steals, two by Wilson. All of the hits and runs were charged to starter Scot DeMadaler (Marlins). Cody Lei (Sails) worked the next 2 2/3, yielding a run when West starter Erik Calis doubled, went to third on a fly out and scored on a wild pitch by Lei. Lefty Sam Berchiolly (Yankees) struck out six in three innings, but the West added one more off him in the sixth on a single by Sanjurjo, a passed ball and RBI single by Mario Perez (Sugar Kings).
The East launched its rally with a run in the fifth as Hector Gerena (Los Leones) doubled home Leones’ teammate Casey Merritt. They exploded for five in the sixth and six more in the seventh to blow the game wide open. Fernando Miranda (Leones) doubled home two, the Hurricanes’ Eddie Gonzalez singled home another and two more scored on errors by the West .
Gerena, who was later named Most Valuable Player walked with the bases loaded in the 7th to put the East ahead to stay. Jorge Lopez (Leones) singled in a run. Jim Bergman (Hurricanes) doubled in two more. A balk, a wild pitch and two more errors plated three additional runs. Gonzalez’ sacrifice fly brought in the last run in the 8th inning. Casey Merritt (Leones) earned the victory. The loss went to Kyle Downey (PB Mets). Gerena wound up going 2 for 2 with two RBIs.
