TRAVERSE CITY - The West All-Stars pounded out 14 hits, and pitched out of a couple of late jams, as they topped the East All-Stars in the Great Lakes Division All-Star Game at Turtle Creek Stadium in Traverse City on Tuesday night.
Wisconsin Rapids’ Brendan Bobo led the hit parade for the West, going 4-for-4 with a 3-run home run in the first inning to earn the game’s “Star of Stars” award. Wausau’s Dalton Pearson chipped in, going 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI.
Braden Duhon led the attack for the East All-Stars, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and three RBI on a bases-clearing double he delivered in the second inning.
The West jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, but the East responded by plating 4 runs in the bottom half of the second. It stayed tied at 4-4 until the top of the fifth, when the West took the lead for good. They tacked on a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh inning to build an 8-4 advantage. The East pulled within a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth, and had the bases loaded, but could not get another run home. The West then responded with three runs in the top of the ninth to build a 5-run cushion, which came in handy in the bottom of the ninth, as the East scored another run, and loaded the bases, sending the tying run to the plate, but Green Bay’s Tyler Horvath was able to get a groundout to end the game.
For the host Traverse City Pit Spitters, Glenn Miller went 1-for-2 with an RBI. Tyler Minnick reached base in all three of his at-bats, getting hit by a pitch twice, and singling. Colin Summerhill went 0-for-3, but walked twice and scored a run. Parker Brosius was 0-for-1 with a walk. The Pit Spitters’ pitchers struggled, being tagged for eight of the West’s 11 runs in the contest.
Two and a half weeks remain in the Northwoods League regular season. The Pit Spitters return to action on Thursday on the road at Kenosha before returning to Turtle Creek Stadium for a weekend series against Battle Creek.