Sports

North wins AABCA All-Star game

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For many of the players in Sunday's eighth annual Austin Area Baseball Coaches All-Star Game, this was their last action as high school athletes.

And those players put on a show at the Dell Diamond, combining for three home runs as the North defeated the South, 4-3.

Three Leander ISD players suited up for the game, with Vista Ridge pitcher Nate Dean playing for the North while Cedar Park's Blake Silguero and Andrew Batten played for the South squad.

Both Silguero and Batten started for the South, with Silguero having a memorable day en route to Offensive Player of the Game honors for his team.

Silguero, an All-District selection this year and two-year varsity starter, finished 2-for-2 and slammed a monster home run to left for the South's first run of the game in the fourth inning.

Facing Westwood's Chase Rich on the mound in that inning, Silguero crushed the third pitch he saw near the top of the grass berm over the left field wall for a home run.

“I knew as soon as I hit it that it was gone,” Silguero said smiling. “To hit a home run at the Dell Diamond in an All-Star game is just an amazing feeling.

“I nearly missed first base because I was so caught up in everything.”

Batten was one of the first players to congratulate Silguero after his home run, and Silguero was the only South player to have two hits or more.

“It was a pretty nice home run, but I've seen him hit longer ones,” Batten said grinning.

Also having a pretty good day was Dean for the North, as he came in for two innings of relief.

Dean gave up an unearned run in his two innings, striking out three while allowing one hit.

“I really wasn't that nervous to play, it's just baseball,” Dean said. “But I was very excited to be out there and facing a lot of good players.”

Dean was the first player from Vista Ridge to ever play in the All-Star game.

The game itself was very competitive, with plenty of big plays under the sun-drenched skies.

The North took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning, as Westwood's Devin Shines served up an RBI single to score Georgetown's Runey Davis.

Another run for the North followed in the fourth inning, with Davis hitting a single to center to bring home Salado's Tanner Myers.

Silguero struck back for the South in the bottom of the fourth with his home run to cut the lead to 2-1.

But the North showed they could play a little long ball as well in the fifth, with Rogers catcher Chris Joshlin crushing a ball into the bullpen in left center to push the edge back to 3-1.

The North got its final run in the sixth inning, as Jeremy Kerely of Hutto ripped an RBI single to score Jordan Vierra of Georgetown. The South cut the lead to 4-2 in the bottome of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Anderson's Travis Wilson to score Anderson Dustin Johnson.

Scoring wrapped up in the seventh inning, with Michael Gomez of Crockett blasting a home run onto the grass berm in left field.

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