The West and East All Star teams were loaded with talent, and early on, the hitters provided the excitement for the many in attendance. However, just as we saw for most of this spring, Mother Nature decided to get in the middle of the outcome, and forced the game to be called in the bottom of the ninth due to lightning. Due to that technicality, there was no official winner with the game ending at 3-3.
Even with the tie, the event was a ton of fun for all involved.
"It was fun to watch," said West head coach Chuck Welch from Westfield. "Sure, we're disappointed that it ended this way, but I think everyone had a good time, which was what this night was all about."
Pitching, for the most part, ruled throughout. Neither team cracked the scoreboard for over seven innings. Osbourn Park's dynamic duo of Matt Wainman and Zach Bargeron were the most dominant on the hill, striking out seven hitters in just two innings of work each.
"All the pitchers out here are talented, and good pitching always beats good hitting," said East skipper John Thomas, from McLean. "Plus, I think some of these hitters haven't really faced these pitchers much, if at all. When that's the case, they're at somewhat of a disadvantage."
Despite the struggles at the plate in the latter innings, both teams found success early in the game at the plate. The scoring started in the bottom half of the first inning off of East starting pitcher Brian Derner of Lake Braddock.
The home West squad opened with a leadoff double by Sherando's Nick Merchant. After a walk to Johnny Bladel of Stone Bridge, Chantilly's Brian King took one deep over the scoreboard. The hometown favorite had struggled the night before in the Home Run Derby contest, but found the perfect swing on Saturday to get the crowd to their feet. King's three-run home run over the left field fence was the first round-tripper in the game's history.
"It was a fastball right down the middle," said King. "I guess I had the home run swing down and got the right pitch for it. It worked out well for me."
It wasn't a cheap homer, either.
"Boy, that ball was crushed," Welch said. "It looked like as if it was on a tee."
For his efforts, King was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
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