By NATE DISCAVAGE
ONEONTA, N.Y.- Heading into the bottom of the ninth, any hope of winning the New York Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game seemed lost for the Eastern Division All-Stars. Trailing 8-2 and facing two of the Niagara Power’s best relievers, there was little reason to think a comeback could be in the works; however, somebody forgot to tell the East.
Nick Campe (Olivet Nazarene) came out of the bullpen with two on and one out and worked out of a jam as the Western Division All Stars triumphed over their Eastern counterparts, 8-6.
Julian Gallup (Cortland/Niagara University) hit a double sandwiched between two four-pitch walks to Harry Roberson (Red Wings/Amherst College) and AJ Compton (Red Wings/Elmhurst College) to load the bases with no outs off Nathan Robinson (Niagara/Cedarville University). Connor Bowie (Sherrill/Mt. Aloysius College) hit an RBI groundout to tally the first run of the inning.
Campe entered the game, but the East wasn’t finished.
Home-town hero Zach Blonder (Oneonta/Maryville College) hit an RBI-single to cut the West’s lead to 8-4. Justin Healey (Jr. Chiefs/Widener University) hit an 0-2 pitch for another RBI-single as the East pulled even closer. Campe forced Trevor Putzig (Oneonta/Tennessee Tech University) to ground into the second out of the inning, but the East was not done.
Oneonta fans rose to their feet cheering and the East’s bench chanted at Damaschke Field as Outlaws’ standout Tyler Bruno (Iona College) stepped to the plate. After falling behind in the count 0-2, Bruno was able to work a walk to keep the game alive. A wild pitch by Campe allowed Blonder to score and make it a two-run ball game. Jose “Manny” Colon (Salt Cats/Rutgers University-Camden) stepped up to the plate with the tying run on base but grounded out to second base as the West ended the threat.
Kenny Collins (Wellsville/Hamilton College) earned the Bob Belizzi Big Stick Award for the best offensive performance as he sparked the early lead for the West with a two-run double in the top of the second before scoring later in the frame.
“I was just trying to put the ball in play,” Collins, the only representative for the Nitros, said. “The ball happened to bounce the right way, and I got a double.”
Vince Apicella (Red Wings/Carson-Newman College) won the Tom Kenney Gold Glove award for his shutdown performance on the mound. In his one inning of work, Apicella, with a historically low 0.19 ERA, struck out three batters with a combined .317 average and 69 RBI.
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“It’s the first ever All-Star Game I have participated in, and I wanted to make the best of it,” the 5’9 righty with 58 strikeouts said. “It was a whole different atmosphere.”
The All-Star Game MVP of the night went to Conner Combs (Niagara/East Texas Baptist University). Combs went 2-for-2 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored in the West’s win. Comb’s two-run triple in the top of the eighth provided valuable insurance runs as the West held a 6-0 lead at that point.
“I am just thankful for the grace of God that I have been able to come out here with these guys and compete,” Combs said. “It was a blast.”
After being limited to no runs and only one hit in last season’s All-Star Game, the East was able to finally break the 16-inning scoreless streak when Healy hit an RBI-run single in the bottom of the eighth to set the stage for the ninth-inning comeback attempt. Healy finished the night 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Brandon Schlimm (Olean/St. Bonaventure University) earned the win. Schlimm pitched a perfect second inning with just seven pitches and one strike out.
Tanner Whiteman (Jr. Chiefs/University of Maryland-Eastern Shore) suffered the loss. He allowed three runs in the second inning on a walk and two hits.
“There are a lot of great guys here, a lot of great players, and it’s fun to be around,” Collins said. “We had a great time.”
For complete All-Star rosters, use the links below:
East: https://bit.ly/1OaplhU
West: https://bit.ly/1JlWsM7
Box Score: https://bit.ly/1V9iw5C
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