North Wins Game One, South Rebounds In Game Two To End Showcase
By: Dylan Lee – Public Relations – Madison Mallards
Madison, Wis. – The top 100 players in the Northwoods League gathered in Madison, Wisconsin on August 5 to participate in a day of workouts in front of Major League Baseball scouts, followed by a doubleheader at the “Duck Pond.”
The workouts before the game featured batting practice as well as field exercises for infielders, outfielders, catchers and pitchers.
In game one of the doubleheader, catcher Franco Guardascione (Palm Beach State) of the Green Bay Bullfrogs broke a 5-5 tie in the sixth inning with a two run home run to put the North up 7-5. Shortstop Peter Maris (UC-Santa Barbara) added an RBI groundout in the seventh inning to put the North over the South by a score of 8-5.
Infielder Paul DeJong (Illinois State) of the Wisconsin Woodchucks led the South team with two home runs, four RBI and two runs scored, and was aided by second baseman Chris Godinez (Bradley) of the Kenosha Kingfish, who finished 2-for-4 with two runs.
St. Cloud Rox pitcher Chad Hockin (Cal State-Fullerton) earned the win for the South, and Wisconsin Woodchucks reliever Austin Tribby (Missouri) was tabbed with the loss. St. Cloud Rox reliever Dalton Sawyer (Minnesota) received the save after tossing the final inning.
The roles were reversed in game two, as right fielder Connor Marabell (Jacksonville) of the South team hit a three run home run in the sixth inning to put the South team up by two runs, and they added one in the seventh and two in the eighth to come away with a 11-6 win.
The South came out to a furious start, scoring four runs off six hits in the first two innings of play. The North then responded with five runs in the top of third inning, two coming on Tyler Hermann’s (UW-Milwaukee) two RBI single. He was driven in on the next at-bat by right fielder Austin Darby (Nebraska), who homered to put the South up 5-2. Both Hermann and Darby finished 2-for-5 with two RBI and one run.
The North added one in the fifth inning before Marabell’s home run in the sixth. Receiving the win for the South was La Crosse Logger pitcher Mark Ecker (Texas A&M) while Waterloo Bucks pitcher Derek Burkamper (Nebraska) earned the loss.
Proceeds from the event today benefited the Northwoods League Foundation. The Northwoods League Foundation utilizes the game of baseball to enrich the quality of life for children and families with an enduring and caring focus on Northwoods League communities.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 20-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com.