Pair of North 4-run rallies doom South in D3 AZBCA all-star game

May 28, 2016 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


The final game of Saturday's Arizona Baseball Coaches Association tripleheader teased fans with a close outcome. The joshing subsided when the North erupted for its eight runs in two innings.

The North snapped a scoreless tie with four runs in the bottom of the fourth and four more in the fifth and went on to an 8-1 victory over the South in the Division III contest at Goodyear Ballpark. Earlier in the day in the Academic All-Star game the East clobbered the West, 11-1. The D4-5 contest saw the South rip the North, 20-7.

The North pieced together seven of its nine hits in the fourth and fifth innings while the South helped out by committing its three errors for the evening in the same frames. Holbrook's Trevor Barton cracked a two-run single in the fifth and pitched a scoreless fourth to pick up the win. Barton took home MVP honors for his play.

Barton was one of six North pitchers who shined in sharing mound duties. North Canyon's Juan Cabrera, Mingus' Zach Abrigo, Winslow's Kuster Kinlecheenie, Snowflake's Tyler Hansen and Northwest Christian's Austin Worrell combined for a six-hitter with 15 strikeouts. Hansen and Worrell pitched two innings each to finish up the game with four and five Ks, respectively. The South's errors were particularly costly as six of the eight runs were unearned (four runs each) by South Mountain's Francisco Valenzuela and Kofa's Cameron Sharp. South pitchers teamed up for 13 strikeouts and only one walk. Scoreless stints were provided by Sahuarita's Austin Bryan, Alhambra's Aldo Fernandez, Maricopa's Tyler Rapp, Nogales' Angel Zuniga, Cibola's Aaron Hernandez and Gila Ridge's Kobe Villegas.

The North's outburst in the fourth was highlighted by RBI hits from Cactus Jake Macy, San Miguel's Rey Chavez-Velez and Abrigo. Driving in runs in the fifth were Moon Valley's Brady Stubbs and Barton (two).  One South player collected two hits -- Cibola's Yozel Juaregui.