Satin leads South to All-Star win

Josh Satin had the Florida State League All-Star Game on a collision course with a stalemate. Then the Mets prospect engineered a late detour.

Satin delivered a go-ahead single in the 10th inning Saturday, giving the South Division a 5-4 victory over the North in the 49th annual midseason classic at Brevard County's Space Coast Stadium.

"They'd already announced it was going to be the last inning," Satin said. "We wanted to do anything to score a run."

The game had been deadlocked, thanks to Satin, who drilled a two-run, opposite-field homer in the eighth off Aaron Shafer of the Daytona Cubs.

"I'd faced that guy before and knew he was a heavy breaking ball pitcher," Satin said. "He threw me two breaking balls right away and I thought he'd sneak a fastball by me. It was middle away and I was just trying to get one elevated the other way."

With both teams running low on pitchers, Quincy Latimore of the Bradenton Marauders opened the 10th with a single, his second hit of the night. He stole second to set the stage for Satin, who singled sharply to right field to break the tie and all but wrap up the Top Star Award.

"With him on second, I was just trying to get him over," said Satin, who is sixth in the league with a .317 average. "In the 10th, you want to win the game. I was trying to hit the ball somewhere the other way. [Justin De Fratus] threw a fastball inside and I kind of inside-outed it and got the barrel on the ball. I was fortunate to find the hole."

South manager Jim Morrison held off on using his closer, Zach Quate, until he had a lead to protect. With 10 saves and a 0.59 ERA in 21 regular-season appearances, Quate fanned two in a perfect 10th to preserve the win for Stone Crabs teammate Josh Satow, who struck out three in the ninth.

"When we faced [Quate during the season], it was unreal," Satin said.

Early on, the All-Star Game looked to be an offensive affair. Latimore opened the game with a single and scored two batters later on a groundout by Charlotte's Henry Wrigley. The lead swung to the North in the third as Daytona's Brett Jackson dropped a single into right field and Dunedin's Travis d'Arnaud plated a run with a forceout.

But pitching prevailed over the middle innings, with the South tying it at 2-2 on a solo homer in the fifth by Palm Beach's Xavier Scruggs.

The North broke the deadlock in the seventh when Matt Cline of the host Manatees drove in Brevard County teammate Erik Komatsu with a fielder's choice. Another run scored when Satin made an errant relay throw from second base.

"Winning really became important when it was 2-2 in the seventh," Satin said. "Then it was, 'All right, let's do what we've got to do to score some runs and win the game."

Like Satin, Scruggs had three hits for the South, while Latimore and Stone Crabs catcher Stephen Vogt had two apiece. Tampa Yankees outfielder Jack Rye doubled, singled and scored twice for the North.