Johnson City – The Appalachian League All-Stars took to the field Tuesday night at TVA Credit Union Ballpark and did not disappoint any of the family, friends, and scouts that came out to watch. The western division came out on top with a 4-1 victory in front of 3200 fans.
Greeneville’s Brodie Johnston got the offense going in the bottom of the first inning as he drove a pitch 369 feet over the left field wall for a solo shot, giving the west a 1-0 lead. Johnston would end the contest going 2 for 4 and be named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
The score would stay that way until the top of the sixth when Bluefield’s Alex Wright would drive in his Ridge runner teammate, Noah Smith, to tie the game up 1-1.
The western division would quickly respond in the bottom of the inning as Greeneville Flyboy, Rintaro Sasaki made his presence known driving a pitch sharply to center and scoring Cal Sefcik to make the score 2-1.
The west picked up two key insurance runs as Nick Arias scored in the seventh inning on a Devan Zirwas groundout, and then Mason Swinney blasted a solo shot over the right field wall in the eighth.
The pitchers also took their turns to shine as well. Both groups scattered seven hits each and collected a total of eighteen strikeouts. Bristol’s Zach Neville picked up the win in relief, while Greeneville’s Brock Toney collected the save.
The All-Stars return to their individual teams on Wednesday to begin the final stretch of the regular season. The final game of the season will be played on July 31st. A one game playoff between the top two teams in each division will be played on August 1st, followed by the championship contest on August 3rd.
