By STEVE KRAH
By going 2-1 on the weekend on the turf at Loeb Stadium in Lafayette, the South pulled event on the all-time ledger for the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series.
Each side has 70 victories.
Sunday, June 25 wood bats were used and the South won 11-6 in Game 3. The contest was moved up to a late-morning start because of heat.
On Saturday, June 24, the North won 6-5 in Game 2 after South triumphed 4-3 in Game 1. Hitters wielded metal bats.
After Sunday’s game, Avon’s Nate Simpson was recognized as series MVP. He went 3-of-8 with four runs batted in and one run scored as a hitter and played well in the outfield, splitting his time between center and left.
“I had a lot of fun,” said Simpson. “This was about playing against some of the best competition in the state. I was doing what I do best to help the team win.”
Simpson plans to return to his travel team — the Indiana Braves — then head to Purdue Fort Wayne in the fall to continue his academic and baseball careers.
Game 3
South 11, North 6
The South — the designated visiting team — scored in all but the first and ninth innings, putting up 3, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1 and 1 between the second and eighth frames.
The North tallied two in the first, one in the third, one in the fourth and two in the eighth.
Western’s Mitchell Dean (University Louisville commit) socked a two-run home run to right field — the only four-bagger of the series — to spot the North to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Scoring ahead of him was Lake Central’s Josh Adamczewski (who singled). Adamczewski is a Ball State commit.
The South’s three-run second saw Batesville’s Charlie Schebler (Akron commit) and Jeffersonville’s Jaden Hart (John A. Logan commit) both reach when they were struck by pitches with two outs. Schebler would score on a passed ball. Hart came in on an infield single by Simpson. An infield hit by Heritage Christian’s Andrew Wiggins (Indiana University commit) drove in Simpson.
A bases-loaded walk to Simpson pushed Cathedral’s Kyuss Gargett (Kentucky commit) across the plate in the South third to make it 4-2.
The North cut the gap to 4-3 in its half of the third. South Bend St. Joseph’s Zachary Stawski (Anderson commit) tripled and scored on a ground by Northridge’s Gavin Collins (Pennsylvania commit).
Shakamak’s Brady Yeryar (Indiana Wesleyan commit) singled home Wiggins (who tripled) with South’s fourth-inning run to make it 5-3.
The North answered with one in its half of the fourth to make it 5-4. Snyder was hit by a pitch and later trotted home on a single by Delphi’s Chase Long (Queens commit).
In the South fifth, Hart reached by walk and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Cardinal Ritter’s Jake Dill (Marian commit). Simpson got on by fielder’s choice and was driven in by a single by Jasper’s Drew Bradley (Rend Lake commit) for a 7-4 score.
The first two hitters in the South sixth — Yeryar and Indianapolis North Central’s Charlie Baker (Illinois commit) — were hit by pitches. Silver Creek’s Jace Burton (Indiana State commit) doubled them both in to make 9-4.
It became 10-4 when Connersville’s Chance Bentley (Evansville commit) singled and later scored Yeryar’s sacrifice fly in the South seventh.
In the South eighth, West Vigo’s Carter Murphy (Indiana State commit) got on by error and was driven by Simpson’s single to make it 11-4.
Rochester’s Tarick McGlothin (Indiana Wesleyan commit) single and Westfield’s Collin Lindsey (Gulf Coast State commit) doubled and both scored on errors for North runs in the North eighth — the last two of the day.
Southridge right-hander/Oakland City commit Mick Uebelhor (3 runs, 2 strikeouts), Brownsburg right-hander/Kaskaskia commit Mason Tibbs (1 run, 3 strikeouts) and Madison right-hander/Xavier commit Ben Orrill (2 runs, 4 strikeouts) pitched three innings apiece for the South.
Fairfield left-hander/Taylor commit Alec Hershberger (4 runs, 8 strikeouts) pitched 2 2/3 innings, Sheridan right-hander/Jefferson commit Sebastian Salazar (3 runs, 0 strikeouts) 2 1/3 with LaPorte right-hander/Huntington R.J. Anglin (3 runs, 1 strikeout) and Western right-hander/Ohio State commit Christian Pownall (1 run, 4 strikeouts) going two each for the North.
Game 2
North 6, South 5
Playing as the visitor, North posted one run in the second, three in the fifth and two in the seventh. South scored one in the first, two in the sixth and one each in the seventh and ninth.
Before West Lafayette right-hander/Lipscomb commit Evan Cooke closed it out, Evansville North’s Rylee Singleton (Taylor commit) doubled in Center Grove’s Drew Culbertson (who singled) in the South ninth to make it 6-5. Culbertson is a Missouri commit.
Singleton’s groundout drove in Schebler (who doubled) in the bottom of the seventh as the South got within 6-4.
North went up 6-3 in the top of the seventh with Adamczewski singling in McGlothin (who singled). Lindsey doubled in Adamczewski.
South go within 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth. Baker’s sacrifice fly plated Culberton (who tripled). Burton reached base on an error and later scored on an error.
North’s three-run fifth gave the team a 4-1 edge. Kokomo’s John Curl lofted a sacrifice fly that scored Crown Point’s Luke Burford (Trine commit who singled). John Glenn’s Brycen Hannah (Indiana Tech commit) tripled to knock in Illiana Christian’s Kevin Corcoran Jr. (Webster commit who singled) and Yorktown’s Cole Temple (Trine commit who walked).
In the North second, Southwood’s Mo Lloyd (SLTC commit) singled in Hannah (who doubled) to make it 1-1.
South scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the first. Sherrard’s sacrifice fly knocked in Bentley (who reached base with an infield single).
Penn right-hander/Western Michigan commit Adam Lehmann (1 run, 3 strikeouts), Huntington North right-hander/Kankakee commit Cole Martz (2 runs, 2 strikeouts) and Cooke (2 runs, 4 strikeouts) pitched three innings each for North.
Forest Park Right-hander/Southern Indiana commit Clayton Weisheit (1 run, 6 strikeouts) and Hamilton Southeastern right-hander/Lincoln Trail commit Ty Bradle (3 runs, 4 strikeouts) worked three innings each followed by right-hander Fishers right-hander/Quincy commit Kyle Manship (2 runs, 1 strikeout) for one and Bloomfield right-hander/Butler commit Brett Sherrard (0 runs, 3 strikeouts) for two for South.
Game 1
South 4, North 3
South, acting as the visitor, scored one run in the fourth, two in the sixth and one in the eighth. North tallied one run each in the fifth, sixth and ninth.
New Prairie’s Grady Kepplin’s fielder’s choice drove in Temple (who walked) to make it 4-3 before Center Grove right-hander/Thomas More commit Jacob Murphy closed the door in the ninth. Kepplin is uncommited.
Schebler doubled home Sherrard (who singled) in the South eighth for a 4-2 lead.
In the North sixth, Lloyd scored on ball misplayed off the bat of Snyder to cut the gap to 3-2.
In the South sixth, Lapel’s Owen Imel (Huntington commit) singled to plate Gargett (on base by error) and Simpson singled to knock in Imel (who singled) for a 3-1 advantage.
Collins doubled in Stawski (who reached on an error) in the North fifth for a 1-all tie.
Singleton singled home Dill (who was hit by a pitch) in the South fourth to make it 1-0.
University right-hander/Xavier commit Jake Hooker (0 runs, 2 strikeouts), Floyd Central left-hander/Anderson commit Noah Wathen (2 runs, 4 strikeouts) and Murphy (1 run, 3 strikeouts) pitched three runs each for the South.
Noblesville right-hander/Eastern Illinois commit Bryce Riggs (0 runs, 3 strikeouts), Fort Wayne Carroll right-hander/Saint Xavier commit Will Worrel (3 runs, 5 strikeouts) and Andrean right-hander/Saint Xavier commit Garrett Benko (1 run, 4 strikeouts) hurled three frames apiece for the North.
Franklin Community outfielder/Vanderbilt commit Max Clark, who was revealed at the 2023 IHSBCA Player of the Year, and Castle right-hander/Auburn commit Cameron Tilly did not play. Wiggins, Clark and Tilly were a part of the Major League Baseball Draft Combine this past week in Arizona.
Huntington University has been chosen as the site for the 2024 IHSBCA North/South All-Star Series.
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