Northern Lights

07/11/2010 – Turks Tidbits

North All-Stars Down South All-Stars 7-2, TURKS Players Provide Most of South’s Notable Moments

By Thomas Cornwell Boston College Intern

Harrisonburg, VA—Heading into the All-Star break the top of Valley Baseball League Standings were being dominated by the league’s northern most teams as four of the top five spots were being held by teams that comprised the North All-Star roster with Harrisonburg being the lone southern team to break-up the northern party atop the league. Sunday night at Eagle Field, the North League All-Stars proved why their teams were having so much success to two-thirds of the way through the 2010 VBL season. The North All-Stars scored three runs each in the top of the first and second inning, added one in the fourth inning, and two in the eighth inning en route to a 9-2 victory over the South League All-Stars.

The TURKS players provided some of the lone bright spots for the South stars on a night when the South’s pitching struggled early and their offense never really looked like they got off the bus. Connor Winn played admirably, at shortstop and second base for the entire game, singling once and walking once in three at-bats. Shaun Cooper played the entire game in left field and broke up the North’s no-hit bid in the bottom of the fourth inning with a triple to straightaway center. Scott Dalrymple came into the game at catcher in the top of the fifth inning, singling in his first plate appearance in the bottom of the sixth inning. He went on to score on a wild pitch, giving the South its first run of the game. Shaun Cooper then grounded out, enabling Waynesboro’s Andrew Turocy to score from third, plating the South’s final run.

TURKS pitchers Drew Granier and Stephen Kohlscheen displayed their talents in the eighth and ninth innings as each faced two batters. Granier struck out both batters he faced in the top the eighth inning. Kohlscheen then entered the game, retiring the final batter of the eighth inning and the first batter of the ninth inning. TURKS player Patrick Savage also participated in the game, serving as the South’s designated hitter. Additionally, the TURKS accounted for three of the South All-Star’s six hits.

Following the game, Shaun Cooper was named MVP of the South team and Cory Spangenberg of Winchester was named MVP of the North team.

Thirty VBL All-Stars will travel to Bethesda, Maryland (Shirley Povich Field) on Wednesday to face-off against the Cal-Ripken All-Stars in the Mid-Atlantic All-Star Classic at 7:30pm. By way of his third-place finish in tonight’s Home Run Derby, Shaun Cooper will be one of five VBL representatives in the Classic’s All-Star Derby preceding Wednesday’s game.

The TURKS return home at 7:30pm Tuesday when they face the Staunton Braves to begin the season’s stretch run.