ARTSLINGER ALL-STARS TAKE THE 2014 SUMMER CLASSIC

Posted July 22, 2014


ARTSLINGER ALL-STARS TAKE THE 2014 SUMMER CLASSIC

For the first time in the Camrose Axemen's history, the North Central Alberta Baseball League held its annual mid-summer classic at Harry Andreassen Field. The Artslinger All-Stars would comprise of the Edmonton Blackhawks, Camrose Axemen, Sherwood Park Athletics, Edmonton Athletics, Edmonton Indians and Sturgeon Paladins. Opposing them would be the Beverly Optimist All-Stars made up of players from the Westlock Red Lions, Stony Plain Mets,  Barrhead Orioles, St Albert Cardinals and Edmonton Warriors. Four Camrose Axemen players would make the squad as P Cory Martz and OF Jordan Riopel would be voted on to the roster by the league governors and P/3B Paul Ofrim and SS Chance Wheatley would be selected by Manager Randy Gregg of the Edmonton Blackhawks. Fans were treated to what was a great game consistenting of outstanding pitching, big hits and some highlight reel plays on defense. 

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E LB
Beverly Optimist All-Stars 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 7 1 7
Artslinger All-Stars 3 0 3 0 0 0 - 6 9 3 7

Win - Mark Trela (EDA)

Loss - Adam Sawatzky (WES)

Save - Regan Hoet (EDB)

 

On a great evening at Harry Andreassen Field weather wise, the Beverly Optmist All-Stars would strike first against Axemen pitcher Cory Martz in the top of the first inning. Red Lions C Jordan Brand would lead off the game by wearing a Martz pitch in the helmet ahead of Westlock teammate RF Nathan Brown's single to move Brand into second base. Cardinals CF Hayden Chies would move both runners over on a 1-3 putout followed by Brand scoring on a wild pitch from Martz. Mets SS Blair McGeough would extend the lead to 2-0 for the Beverley Optimist All-Stars by recoding a RBI on a ground out to SS Alex McGregor of the Sturgeon Paladins. Cardinals 1B Matt Biollo would drive a two out double to the right field corner but would be left stranded at second when Martz got Edmonton Warriors 2B Rob Horner swinging on high fastball to end the inning.

Down 2-0 with the 2012 NCABL MVP Adam Sawatzky on the mound for the Beverly Optimist All-Stars it looked like the Artslinger All-Stars would have to chip away to get back. Instead they would take the lead on a big three run home run by Edmonton Blackhawks 1B Ryan Gregg. After Sawatzky would get Axemen CF Jordan Riopel and 2B Chance Wheatley in back to back strikeouts to start the home half of the inning, 3B Paul Ofrim would hustle down the line to beat out a throw for an infield single to extend the inning. A line drive single by SS Alex McGregor of the Paladins would put two on for Gregg. A first pitch from Sawatzky would be spun around the other direction by the left handed swinging Gregg and over the right centre fence putting the Artslinger All-Stars up 3-2, a lead that they would not lose as the night rolled on.

Edmonton Athletics P Mark Trela would come in and pitch a pair of extremely effective innings in relief to earn the relief win. Of his six outs, Trela would get three Beverly Optimist All-Stars on infield popups and another on a strikeout. The hardest hit ball off of Trela was a line drive comebacker that the lefty calmly snagged out of the air. Still on the hill for the Beverly Optimist All-Stars in the second inning, Sawatzky would give up back to back singles to Edmonton Blackhawks C Sam Ewanishan and Paladins RF Kevin Drybaugh but would settle down to get Trela on a catchers pop in foul territory before once again retiring the Axemen duo of Riopel and Wheatley at the top of the order. 

The Artslinger All-Stars would once again come up with three runs in an inning in the bottom of the third against St Albert Cardinals pitcher McLean Cruthers. Axemen 3B Paul Ofrim would lead off the inning by reaching on an error to Barrhead Orioles 3B Cornelius Friensen and followed up by Paladins SS Alex McGregor's second single of the game into left field. A walk to the power hitting Ryan Gregg of the Blackhawks loaded the bases for the Artslinger All-Stars to chip away. C Sam Ewanishan would score Ofrim on a sacrifce fly into right field then Paladins RF Kevin Drybaugh would bring home teammate Alex McGregor on a RBI single into left. LF Mark Trela would drive in the sixth and final run for the Artslinger All-Stars by driving in Gregg with a RBI single of his own. Drybaugh would come in and pitch a clean top of the fourth inning for the Artslinger All-Stars recording a pair of strikeouts and get a big diving catch by LF Mark Trela off the bat of Warriors 2B Rob Horner. 

A 6-2 Artslinger All-Stars lead would be trimmed down to 6-3 in the fifth inning when Axemen P Paul Ofrim would surrender a RBI double off the bat of Cardinals CF Hayden Chies to score Westlock's Jordan Brand. Brand would reach base with two outs when for the second time against an Axemen pitcher in the game, would get hit by a pitch. Both times Brand would exact some revenge by coming around to score later in the inning. 

Manager Adam Sawatzky of the Beverly Optimist All-Stars would get two shut out innings from Cardinals P Nolan Werre and Mets P Spencer Hayes. The only batters to reach safely in the final three innings for the Artslinger All-Stars would be a walk to each of the two Sherwood Park Athletics players, C Mike Falkins and 2B Cody McElroy, and his third and final hit of the game from SS Alex McGregor of the Paladins. 

2012 NCABL All-Star Game MVP Regan Hoet would be called upon by Manager Randy Gregg to lock down the two inning save, but it wouldn't come easily for the hard throwing New Zealander. Hoet would make it through a shut out sixth inning only allowing one hit to 2B Rob Horner, but a pair of hits in the seventh moved the go ahead run to the plate. Red Lions 3B Stu Schroeder would reach base on a single and would move into scoring position on a one out single by Westlock teammate Nathan Brown. A run would score on a throwing error by the Artslinger third baseman which would elude Axemen Paul Ofrim, who made an extremely rare appearance at first base. A run would come in to score to make it 6-4 with one out and two runnners on but Hoet would close out the inning strong. Mets SS Blair McGeough would pop up to Ofrim in foul territory and Hoet would close out the game by striking out 1B Matt Biollo of the Cardinals to secure the save and the 6-4 victory.

The game was a success for the Axemen, who with great support from the City of Camrose was able to improve the field conditions leading up to the game including the mound and batters box. Harry Andreassen Field looked great under the lights with the scorboard lit up and the sounds of Axemen play by play man Earl Thompson over the PA system as baseball fans got to enjoy some of the top NCABL players performing at a high level. The teams will now rest and get ready for the final push for the playoffs as six teams will be in action on Wednesday night as the Axemen will travel to Stony Plain to take on the Mets, the Westlock Red Lions and Edmonton Indians will tangle and finally the Edmonton Warriors and Sherwood Park Athletics will square off at Footz Field. All three games are scheduled to start at 7:15pm.  



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