Bill on Baseball: Hitters Carry the Night in All-Star Game
It was a hitters' night - hot, humid and the ball carrying well in a stadium conducive to home runs.So it was no real surprise when the South used four home runs to carry it to a 9-5 win over the North in the SAL All-Star game Tuesday at First
It was a hitters' night - hot, humid and the ball carrying well in a stadium conducive to home runs.
So it was no real surprise when the South used four home runs to carry it to a 9-5 win over the North in the SAL All-Star game Tuesday at First National Bank Field. The teams combined for 22 hits and six homers.
Hoppers manager Todd Pratt, the skipper for the North, enjoyed himself despite being on the losing end.
"It was great to see the talent throughout the league," he said. "There was great camaraderie, it was a good game, a great crowd and some very talented players."
Pratt was complimentary of Hoppers team president Donald Moore and vice president of baseball operations Katie Danemiller and their staff for running the event, which included a dinner Monday night, a luncheon Tuesday, the home run contest, selling 7,474 tickets and making the field sparkle.
"Everything was top-notch," Pratt said.
Three hitters did most of the damage for the South, combining for eight hits and eight RBIs.
For the North,
It was a tough night for the three Hoppers who played. The bright spot was 18-year-old
On a night in which 19 total pitchers were used, the four Rome hurlers were dominant. Bruce Zimmerman,
Three things in particular stood out.
In the fifth inning, the bat slipped from Pratto;s grasp and sailed several rows into the stands. It bounced off some seats and was snagged by a fan who didn't want to give it up. Pratto sent the batboy to get another bat, which he then used to whack a two-run homer.
Pratto faced Hickory's
Delmarva shortstop
Hoppers pitching coach Mark DiFelice, who handled the North staff, had the right approach to the game.
"You come to an all-star game to relax, not get stressed out," he said.