North rides big fourth to All-Star win
ROME, Ga. -- His South Atlantic League record 38-game hitting streak won't be the only thing that makes the 2007 season memorable for Mitch Hilligoss.
Although his Southern Division team lost to the North, 3-1, on Tuesday night, the Charleston RiverDogs third baseman was named Most Valuable Player of the 48th South Atlantic League All-Star Game.
Hilligoss, drafted by the New York Yankees in the sixth round out of Purdue University last year, collectd three hits, including an RBI single in the opening inning, stole a base and also made the defensive play of game with a diving stop to start a double play.
"It's a real honor. There were a lot of great players in this game."
The North won for the second year in a row and trails the South, 7-6, since the All-Star Game shifted back to a North-South format in 1995.
The South had an 11-4 advantage in hits but couldn't overcome one bad inning before a sellout crowd of 5,105 at State Mutual Stadium on a rainy night in Georgia.
The North scored all its runs in the fourth off Rome Braves right-hander Deunte Heath, who has a 2.07 regular-season ERA.
Everyone felt fortunate just to get the All-Star Game in. Heavy afternoon rains forced cancellation of Home Run Derby and most of the game was played in at least a drizzle.
In addition to receiving a commemorative bat as the Star of Stars, a King Quad Suzuki will be presented to Hilligoss' hometown of Windsor, Ill.
Hilligoss' parents, Darrell and Libby, made the trip from Illinois, making the occasion even more special.
"We played well, we just didn't win," Hilligoss said. "That's the only thing detracting from this."
Hilligoss had cooled off since his record hitting streak ended earlier this month, but he's still batting .314.
"Hopefully, this will get me started again," said Hilligoss, who turned 22 on Sunday. "This definitely is a confidence boost."
Kyle Pearson of the Hickory Crawdads was named Pitcher of the Game. He got the victory after striking out one in a perfect third inning.
"When they called my name, it was like, 'What did I do?'" said Pearson, a 22-year-old from Panama City, Fla. "But it's a nice honor to win. This was a lot of fun."
Pearson didn't have glowing stats coming into the game. He is just 1-3 with four saves and a 3.72 ERA in 22 games. But the Chicago White Sox prospect was as impressive as any All-Star pitcher.
The North hadn't had a baserunner before breaking through in the fourth against Heath. The University of Tennessee product started off by walking Greensboro's John Raynor, who stole second base. Grasshoppers teammate Chris Coghlan doubled in Raynor and scored on a one-out double by Matt Whitney of the Lake County Captains.
An error by Asheville Tourists second baseman Daniel Mayora prolonged the inning, and another run scored on a sacrifice fly by Captains catcher Matt McBride.
Kevin Pucetas, getting the start for the South after former Augusta GreenJackets teammate Henry Sosa was promoted to the California League over the weekend, retired the North in order on seven pitches in the opening inning. All the outs were on fly balls.
Quick success is nothing new to Pucetas. The big right-hander walked only seven over 70 innings while compiling a 7-1 first-half record for the GreenJackets.
North starter Taylor Graham has even better control, walking five over 94 2/3 innings while going 8-1 with a 2.57 ERA in the first half for Greensboro. But the left-hander's first two pitches were too good.
Desmond Jennings of the Columbus Catfish lined Graham's first pitch up the middle for a leadoff single. Hilligoss hit the next offering to left-center, where it rolled through the soggy outfield to the fence for an RBI triple.
Graham steadied himself and stranded Hilligoss. He struck out the last two batters in the first and the first two in the second, three on called strikes. He was the only pitcher in the game to work two innings and retired the last six batters he faced.
The South loaded the bases with one out in the seventh on two hits and a walk, but David Qualben of the Lexington Legends got out of the jam with a strikeout and a fielder's choice.
The South also wasted two hits in the eighth, which turned out to be its last opportunity.
Garet Hill of the Lakewood BlueClaws pitched a perfect ninth for the save.
Longtime South Atlantic League president John Henry Moss, who is retiring after the season, was honored before the game and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
This was the first time Rome hosted the Midsummer Classic. The Atlanta Braves moved their South Atlantic League affiliate from Macon to Rome, which is 75 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta, in 2003.
Guy Curtright is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
Box Score
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
R |
H |
E |
 |
| North |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
| South |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
11 |
1 |
W: K. Pearson; L: D. Heath; SV: G. Hill
HR: None. |
BATTING
2B: Coghlan (1, Heath), Whitney (1, Heath).
TB: Raynor; Coghlan 2; Caufield; Whitney 2.
RBI: Coghlan (1), Whitney (1), McBride (1).
SF: McBride.
GIDP: Whitney.
Team LOB: 2.
BASERUNNING
SB: Raynor (1, 2nd base off Heath/Ashley).
FIELDING
E: Caufield (1, fielding), Rivero (1, missed catch).
Outfield assists: Van Ostrand (Paulk at 2nd base).
DP: (Rivero-Coghlan-Whitney).
Pickoffs: Qualben (Gomez at 1st base).
|
BATTING
2B: Hilligoss (1, Taylor).
TB: Jennings 2; Hilligoss 4; Paulk 2; Rodriguez; Ferrante; Ashley; McKenry.
RBI: Hilligoss (1).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Paulk; Engel; Mayora 2; Hernandez 2; Gomez.
GIDP: Nunez, E.
Team LOB: 11.
BASERUNNING
SB: Hilligoss (1, 2nd base off Wendte/Bouchie), Jennings (1, 3rd base off Wendte/Bouchie).
CS: Gomez (1, 2nd base by Qualben/Bouchie).
PO: Gomez (1st base by Qualben).
FIELDING
E: Mayora (1, fielding).
DP: (Hilligoss-Pellot-Paulk).
a-Grounded into a forceout for Carter in the 7th. |
|
WP: Pfinsgraff.
Pitches-strikes: Taylor 31-24, Pearson 7-7, Bergesen 15-10, Wendte 16-11, Rondon 14-7, Qualben 20-11, Pfinsgraff 15-12, Hill, G 11-7, Pucetas 7-5, Cowart 10-7, Robertson 13-10, Heath 26-14, Weiser 11-9, De Los Santos 9-6, Burok 14-7, Trinidad 5-3, Hovis 10-6, Papelbon 3-2, Medlen 12-9.
Ground outs-fly outs: Taylor 1-1, Pearson 1-1, Bergesen 1-0, Wendte 3-0, Rondon 0-3, Qualben 2-0, Pfinsgraff 0-0, Hill, G 1-1, Pucetas 0-3, Cowart 0-2, Robertson 2-0, Heath 0-2, Weiser 1-2, De Los Santos 3-0, Burok 0-3, Trinidad 0-0, Hovis 0-1, Papelbon 1-0, Medlen 0-0.
Batters faced: Taylor 8, Pearson 3, Bergesen 5, Wendte 5, Rondon 4, Qualben 6, Pfinsgraff 5, Hill, G 3, Pucetas 3, Cowart 3, Robertson 3, Heath 7, Weiser 4, De Los Santos 3, Burok 3, Trinidad 1, Hovis 2, Papelbon 1, Medlen 2.
Umpires: HP: Kelvin Bultron. 1B: Matthew Pridemore. 2B: Matt Abbott. 3B: Tripp Gibson.
Weather: 71 degrees, cloudy.
Wind: 4 mph, R to L.
T: 2:20.
Att: 5,105.
