ALL-STAR SPORTS WEEK: North, South split baseball doubleheader

Tallassee’s Brue Milner takes a swing for the South in the All-Star Sports baseball game at DABOS Park on Monday. The North and South split two games. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

The weather was hot, the batting was sporadic but South all-star baseball coach Russ Brooks couldn’t think of a better place to be after his squad rallied to earn a split in the battle with the North on Monday evening at DABOS Park.

“I think it’s a good time,” the Wetumpka coach said. “You get to be around baseball. If you like baseball, this is probably the place to be for us coaches and players. And it’s fun to be around kids that want to pursue this in college. The dugout is different. Everybody’s kind of got a goal to play college baseball and that makes things different.”

The North won the first game 5-1, largely on the strength of a three-run second inning in which the North pieced together four of its nine hits. North MVP Cooper Craycraft, Terrion Nevels and Connor Greb hit doubles in the inning and George Brockwell added an RBI single to give the North a 3-0 lead.

The South rallied with a 7-3 win in the second game, getting much of their help from walks issued by North pitchers. A two-run single by South MVP Declan King, followed by a bases-loaded walk to Noah Bryan, gave the South a 3-0 lead in the first.

The South made it 6-0 in the second when Tallassee’s Brue Milner and Wetumpka’s Miller Lombardi were hit by pitches with the bases loaded in the second inning. Prattville second baseman Christian Alexander, the third all-star from the River Region, scored in the fifth on a sacrifice fly to make it 7-1.

Managing 15 batters and several all-star pitchers can be difficult at times, but Brooks shrugged off the difficulty.

“The better the players are, the easier it is,” he said. “We talked to them before the game and they kind of help us make (the game plan). They know each other and play with each other. The pitching is probably the biggest deal, just to make sure everybody gets a turn on the mound.”

His all-star, Lombardi, turned in several stellar defensive plays at shortstop and also took a turn on the mound in the fifth inning of the second game.

“I had a great time doing both,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed pitching so getting to go against some of the best guys in the country, that’s just a fun time all around. I didn’t know whether I was going to play in the field or not. Having Coach Brooks as my coach probably helped that a lot. But I had a great time. I wouldn’t want to spend my day anywhere else but a baseball field, to be honest. Playing with some of these guys I’ve known for a while, it was fun.”

Lombardi met some new friends on the South all-star team but also enjoyed getting to play alongside Milner, the Tallassee catcher.

“I’ve played against Brue Milner my whole high school career, so playing with him today was really fun,” he said. “And playing with these guys I’ve known for two years through summer ball, we just had a great time.”

Lombardi was just as impressive on the mound, earning praise from his coach for his performance in the all-star game.

“Miller played really well,” Brooks said. “He made some really good plays defensively and had some good swings. He didn’t get anything out of them, but he had some good at-bats. I was just glad to be here with Miller. He’s a good kid and a good player.”

The baseball game wasn’t the only all-star event on Monday. Earlier in the day, the North and South squared off in boys and girls golf, with the North winning both events.

The South girls won four of the five individual match play duals but a dominant 17-1 win by Ella Roberts of Brookwood and Anna Perdue of Northside enabled the North to squeak by the South by one stroke – 45.5 to 44.5. Both girls earned MVP honors for the North.

The North boys won their match 48-5 to 41.5 over the South squad. South winners in the close match play were Jackson McIntyre of Montgomery Academy and Whit Bixenman of Trinity Presbyterian, who won their match 10.5 to 7.5 to earn South MVP honors.  

30th ALABAMA ALL-STARS SPORTS WEEK

Monday’s results

Girls’ Golf:  South 45.5, North 44.5 (North girls lead series 5-2)

Boys’ Golf:  South 48.5, North 41.5 (North boys lead series 6-1)

Baseball:  North 5-3, South 1-7, (North boys lead series 26-19-5)

Tuesday

Cross Country, Gateway Park, 8 a.m.

Tennis, Lagoon Park Tennis Center, 5 p.m.

Girls’ Basketball, Multiplex at Cramton Bowl, 5 p.m.

Boys’ Basketball, Multiplex at Cramton Bowl, 6:45 p.m.

Wednesday

Softball, Lagoon Park Softball Complex, 4 p.m.

Girls’ Soccer, Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex, 5 p.m.

Boys’ Soccer, Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex, 7 p.m.

Thursday

Volleyball, Multiplex at Cramton Bowl, 2 p.m.