sfoggi posted on July 12, 2011 21:39
SANFORD, Fla. (July 12, 2011) – It was an eventful day at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium where there was an all-star cast, including a special long ball competition between Former Cardinal Ray Lankford and Former Rocky and 4-time All-Star Dante Bischette, Sr. before the main event. But when it was all said and done, the North All-Stars took home a 2-1 victory on Tuesday night.
The North All-Stars team was comprised of DeLand, Leesburg, and Sanford, while the South All-Stars consisted of Orlando, Winter Haven, and Winter Park.
The 2011 Mad Dog Bats Home Run Derby kicked off the festivities and came down to the wire as both DeLand’s Kevin Lindeim (Stetson) and Andre Colon (Lynn) each blasted five bombs out of the park. In the final round, Colon came up short and was unable to hit one over the fences as Lindheim homered three times to capture the crown.
The North All-Stars fed off of the momentum from the Home Run Derby and limited the South All-Stars to one run, despite scattering six hits.
Alex Mendez (SAN, South Florida) and Tom Sicking (LEE, Texas-Pan American) each scored runs for the North in the first two innings of play. Mendez led the team with two hits, one run scored, and two stolen bases and was named the 2011 Most Valuable Player.
Mendez was rightfully named MVP after ending a South All-Stars threat in the top of the fourth with bases loaded. Orlando’s Kevin Lehane (Jacksonville) stepped to the plate and hit a ball deep into leftfield, but Mendez leaped into the air before the ball had any chance of hitting the wall to get the third out of the inning.
Also penciling in an inning-ending play was right-handed pitcher Adam Albers (SAN, Saint Leo). In the top of the sixth, with runners on first and second, Albers alertly noticed Sam Halpern’s (WH, Barry) lead off of second base and quickly spun and fired to shortstop Jacob Tillotson (LEE, Santa Fe) to pick off Halpern.
With each team playing a solid defense, pitching was also a dominant factor in the game’s outcome. Starting North All-Star pitcher Austin Jackson (DEL, Florida Southern), along with Chad Rood (DEL, Stetson), and closer Max Rusch (LEE, Flagler) did not allow a base runner. Jackson earned the win with two innings of work, while Rusch picked up the save as he recorded a 1-2-3 inning.
South All-Stars starting pitcher Jeremy Strawn (WP, State College of Florida) was tagged with the loss. Right-handed pitcher Peter Miller (WH, Florida State) recorded a team-high four strikeouts.
With half of the summer slate already completed, the six teams of the Florida Collegiate Summer League return to their regular-season schedule, beginning on Thursday, July 14, vying for a spot in the playoffs. The best of three series is set to begin August 3 with the Championship Game slated for August 7 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.