South prevails 7-6 in Tri-Co star game

By Jeff Cory
Of The Morning Call


For those fans who were put to sleep by last week's major league midsummer "classic," the Tri-County League offered an example last night of the way an all-star game should be played.

The South stars used some stingy relief pitching to hold off a North rally and ice a 7-6 victory.

Tom Murphy of Gilbertsville, Scott Davis of Quakertown, and Tim Fox of Upper Perk combined to strike out eight North batters over the final four innings, saving the game for winning pitcher George Becker.

After taking a 4-0 lead in the third inning, the North was held to one hit, a run-scoring Bob Sopko triple in the eighth, over the final six frames.

"Our first couple of pitchers were curve-ballers, and they got the lead early," said South shortstop Pete Hoff of Upper Perk, who had a pair of hits and a stolen base. "I think it hurt them when we brought in our fast- ballers."

Gilbertsville center fielder Bob Sassaman was the game's MVP, collecting two singles and a triple and stealing a base. Sassaman led a balanced South attack which pounded out 13 base hits against six different pitchers, compared to just five hits for the North.

"When we fell down 4-0, I guess we started to get a little edgy wondering if we were going to get any runs," Sassaman said. "The key was we had confidence in each other as ballplayers. We just kept doing the things we do, and I knew we'd get it together and get some runs. We knew we definitely had the pitching. If we could score six or seven runs, we'd have the ballgame."

For a while the game looked as if it would be a runaway for the North. Coplay's Mark Bonshak, who was a last-minute replacement for Bill Erie, made the most of his opportunity, driving in three of the North's first four runs with a double and a two-run homer.

North starter Bill Sandt of Limeport held the South in check for two innings before it exploded off reliever Ray Ganser in the bottom of the third.

Del Val's Steve Wippel led off the inning with a double and one out later he scored on Jamie Eastland's single. Bob Graber walked and Jeff Evans double home Eastland. Graber then scored on a wild pitch, making the score 4-3.

The South took the lead for good in the fourth, thanks in part to some shoddy defense by the North. Hoff singled with one out, stole second and continued on to third on a wild throw by catcher Tom Levy. He scored on Wippel's sacrifice fly. Sassaman then stepped up and belted a triple to right- center. The next batter, Eastland, hit a bouncer to third which Todd Reimert couldn't handle, allowing Sassaman to score the go-ahead run.

With the score 7-4, the North rallied in the eighth. Limeport's Steve Miller led off with a walk, and one out later Sopko of Salisbury tripled him home. Scott Snyder lined out to left field, scoring Sopko, but that was as close as the North could get. Fox came on in the ninth and fanned two of the three batters he faced to notch the save.



  

From The Morning Call -- July 21, 1985

Copyright © 1985, The Morning Call