North Makes it Three-in-a-Row in Junior All-Star Baseball Classic

The North DeKalb Junior All-Stars struck for seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie on the way to an 11-5 victory over the South All-Stars in the third annual DeKalb County Junior All-Star Baseball Classic on Friday at Druid Hills High’s John Devore Field. The victory gives the North a 3-0 lead in the series dating back to 2009.

The South had rallied from a 3-0 first-inning deficit to tie the game at 4-4 as Arabia Mountain’s Tevin Martin scored on North throwing error in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The North used an error and a hit to bring Tucker’s DeMarcus Taylor to the plate with nobody out in the top of the seventh. Taylor answered with a two-run single to give the North the lead for good at 6-4. The North would go on to get eight straight batters on base in the inning with Lakeside’s Kyle Newsome adding a RBI single and Stone Mountain’s Yannick Williams a sacrifice fly before McNair’s Tevin Whaley shut the door in relief of Lithonia’s Rasean Fullmore who started the inning.

The damage was done and the North had a commanding 11-4 lead. The South managed a run in the eighth as Whaley stole home on a double steal attempt by the South to make the final score of 11-5. Stone Mountain’s Williams pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth to close out the game for the North.

The North opened the game with three consecutive batters reach base and Dunwoody’s James Cunningham, Lakeside’s Daniel Comer and Dunwoody’s Jared Martin driving in runs for a 3-0 lead. Arabia Mountain’s Jordan Mitchell settled down after giving up those three runs to set down 12 of the next 13 North batters while he set a Junior All-Star game record of four innings pitched. He broke the record of three innings set by Dunwoody’s Hunter Wheeler in the 2009 inaugural game and tied by Dunwoody’s Wes Bancroft a year ago.

The South got on the board against North starter James Cunningham with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 3-2.

The North extended the lead to 4-2 as Druid Hills’ Max Bowen scored on a wild pitch in the fifth. The South answered with a run in the bottom half of the fifth as Tevin Whaley drove in Miller Grove’s Sean Charleston to trim the lead to 4-3.

Tucker’s DeMarcus Taylor earned the North Most Valuable Player Award going 1-2 at the plate with the game-winning, two-run single in the seventh and pitching three innings while allowing four hits, two runs (one earned) and striking out one to pick up the victory. Jordan Mitchell of Arabia Mountain was named the South MVP after setting the Junior All-Star inning’s pitch record with four innings while striking out two, walking one, allowing three hits and three runs. He was also 2-3 at the plate, scored a run and stole a base.

2011 Junior All-Star Baseball Notes
*--Jordan Mitchell (Arabia Mountain) set a new innings pitched record with four. He broke the record of three innings set by Dunwoody’s Hunter Wheeler in the 2009 inaugural game and tied by Dunwoody’s Wes Bancroft a year ago.
*--DeMarcus Taylor (Tucker) tied the record for least walks allowed with 0 in three innings. He also tied the record for RBI in the game with 2. Five others are tied with Taylor.
*--David Coble (Chamblee) tied the record for most hits in the Junior All-Star game as he collected 3 (3-5) to tie the record set by Xavier Griffin of Columbia in the 2009 game.
*--Max Bowen (Druid Hills) and Xavier Cooper (Cedar Grove) tied with four other players for most walks in the Junior All-Star game with two each.

Mark Brock is the Athletics Statistician and Information Officer for DeKalb County Schools Athletics.