Baseball, softball close out season with All-Star match
The 2017 high school baseball and softball seasons officially ended with the annual senior All-Star games Sunday and Monday night.
In a match that pitted the Bayside North against the Bayside South, the South got the upper hand in baseball while the division fell to the North in softball.
Though the game doesn’t improve an overall record or advance a team further into the playoffs, the contest represents one final chance for seniors in the Bayside Conference to join up and play one final ballgame as a high school athlete.
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BASEBALL: South gets revenge
Although the North claimed the Bayside Conference crown when St. Michaels defeated Stephen Decatur in the championship game May 9, the South finally got its revenge with a 10-5 victory at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.
The North never recovered from early mistakes. After by a six-run second inning by the South, the North got shut out for four of the seven innings.
A triple from Stephen Decatur’s Jake Shockley set the tone in the first inning for the South, which finished the game with eight hits. Shockley later scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0 early on.
Despite a tying run from St. Michaels’ CJ Chandler in the top of the second, the South ran away with the game in its second at-bat. The six straight runs included a two-RBI double from Parkside’s Grant Burleson, followed by a sacrifice run from Washington’s Jimmy Mansfield to make it 7-1 after two.
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Three runs in the seventh gave the North some life, but strong pitching and defensive play from the South’s infield put the icing on the cake, giving the Bayside South its 15th overall All-Star victory.
Parkside pitcher Sean Fisher was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher for the South, while James M. Bennett shortstop Kaleb Cline earned the MVP award.
“I just came out here to have some fun, and I got that accomplished today,” Fisher said. “We’ve been trying to beat these guys all year, and today we got to join up with them and beat the North.”
In one inning pitched, Fisher struck out one batter and did not allow a hit. Behind him on defense, Cline dominated in the infield, while going two-for-two at the plate and scoring a run.
“It’s great to play with everyone before heading to college. It feels pretty good to be named MVP, there’s a lot of talent here and it feels good,” Cline said. “I’m going to miss it all.”
SOFTBALL: North takes down South
Unlike their baseball counterparts, the Bayside South softball team couldn't squeeze out one final win to end the season, falling to the North 7-2 Monday night.
A five-run second inning from the North, which was highlighted by a home run to left field by Easton's Jada Murray, put the South in a position it was never able to recover from.
Murray's teammate, Katelyn Miles, also added a homer in the top of the fifth to make it 6-0 late in the game.
Eager to not end their high school career with a shutout, the South fought back and earned two runs from Pocomoke's Courtney Logan and Parkside's Taylor Nichols. Nichols was later named the Most Outstanding Player for the South, going two-for-three at the plate and scoring a run.
"It was really fun to just have a relaxed game. We've all become friends, and it was just great to play with them in a relaxed setting," Nichols said. "It was kind of emotional, and it was a little upsetting knowing that this is my last game playing with these people, and I'm really going to miss them."
The team came up short at the Sea Gull Softball Stadium, but Snow Hill head coach David Hall's main focus was ensuring his players enjoyed the final game of their high school career.
"I think all the girls had fun today. I told them, it's neat to play against each other in the regular season and then come together and have fun to finish your senior year out," Hall said. "It was a good, well-spirited competitive game."