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West Hammers North For Title

Mark Pinson/Highlands Today

West baserunner Tim Younger, of Clearwater, steals second as North shortstop Cade Smith, of North Marion, waits for the throw during Saturday's championship game of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Baseball Classic at Firemen's Field.

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By Mark  Pinson | Highlands Today

Published: May 25, 2008

SEBRING –– Tampa Sickles outfielder Kenny Wilson scored four runs and Tampa King's Sean Buckley had a key two-run double to lead the West All-Stars to a 15-6 win over the North All-Stars in the championship game of the 30th annual Florida Athletic Coaches Association Baseball Classic on Saturday at a sweltering Firemen's Field.

Wilson, who played a flawless center field, drew a pair of walks and reached on one of four North errors to spark the West offense, which banged out 15 hits off five North hurlers.

"It's an honor to be selected to play in this series and it was great to be able to represent the west coast of Florida," said Wilson, who has signed a scholarship with the University of Florida. "We swung the bats well, got solid pitching and our defense was tight. "This was a great experience because everything is first class and this field is nicer than a lot of minor league parks.

"I had heard this was a great event, but it was even better than I imagined."

Wilson got things started in the top of the first inning by drawing a leadoff walk off of North right-hander Austin Wood.

Two more walks loaded the bases and Buckley, who had a pair of hits and drove in two runs in Friday night's 5-1 win over the East All-Stars, came through with a bloop double down the right-field line for an early 3-0 lead.

The speedy Wilson reached on a fielder's choice in the second inning, stole second and scampered home on a single to right field by Bradenton-Pendleton's Tyler Pastornicky.

The West kept the pressure on in the third inning as Wilson walked and came around to score on a ground out by Tampa Plant's Jared Womack for a commanding 9-0 lead.

That was more than enough support for Sarasota's Casey Kelly, as the hard-throwing right-hander allowed one hit and struck out three in his two innings of work.

Kelly, who was selected the MVP of the West, also had two hits and knocked in a run.

Tampa Middleton's Jamie Mallard, who played first base for the West, unloaded a mammoth three-run homer over the center-field wall in the top of the seventh inning to put the game out of reach.

Tampa Jefferson coach Pop Cuesta, who was the head coach for the West, was on the winning team for the fourth time in his illustrious career.

"Over the years of this event we have a tradition of winning when a Tampa coach is in charge," said Cuesta. "The credit goes to the players, because they do all the work, all I do is fill out the lineup card.

"They're all very talented and this is a great showcase for them to display their ability."

The North, which manged five hits off of five pitchers, scored three runs in the seventh and added three in the eighth inning on a home run by Crawfordville-Wakulla's Cameron Graves.

But Dade City Pasco's Dustin Brown came on to record the last three outs to seal the win for the West All-Stars.

"This is a well-run event," said Cuesta. "It's an honor to be a part of it and it's a lot of fun to coach such outstanding players."

East 5, South 1

In Saturday's earlier game, the East All-Stars took advantage of several fielding miscues by the South to score four runs in the second inning en route to a 5-1 win.

Sebring's Tony Vazquez, who played six innings at first base for the East squad, walked, struck out and was hit by a pitch in three plate appearances.

"Playing in this series means the world to me," said Vazquez, who has signed with Polk Community College. "I watched my brother play in it, but to be able to play in it and compete with the top players in the state is awesome.

"It was amazing and everything I thought it would be."

Sebring's Adam Simmons, who played third base for the East team on Friday night, was loaned to the South squad and tossed three scoreless innings in Saturday's contest.

The hard-throwing Blue Streak right-hander allowed two hits, no walks and struck out two in the steamy conditions.

"I thought I threw pretty well," said Simmons, who has signed with South Florida Community College. "This weekend meant everything to me.

"It took a lot of hard work, but to be selected to play and compete against the best players in the state is something I'll always remember."

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