In win for South, an ‘awesome’ display
Jean-Charles’ grand slam, solid pitching highlight 8-1 victory at Camden Yards
Coming into the 34th Brooks Robinson High School All-Star Game, Chesapeake-Anne Arundel coach Ken King liked his South team’s chances because of its pitching depth.
The pitching turned in the performance King expected, and the hitting followed suit.
James M. Bennett’s Michael JeanCharles highlighted a five-run fourth inning with a grand slam and helped the South pull away for an 8-1 victory over the North on Sunday at Camden Yards, which followed the Orioles’ 9-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
“He just crushed that ball,” King said of Jean-Charles’ blast, which gave the South a 7-0 lead. “That was a grand slam home run and a great moment for him. He hit the ball hard all four times.”
Jean- Charles’ shot, which easily cleared the wall in left field, just to the right of the 333-foot sign, was one of seven hits over two innings for the South, which scored its seven runs off standout Calvert Hall pitcher Nick Delp.
“It was awesome. Probably every kid’s dream,” said Jean-Charles, named the South’s Most Valuable Player on offense. “It felt really good, and I never thought it
would happen.”
Hunter Parsons (Parkside) and Ljay Newsome (Chopticon) each pitched two scoreless innings, while Grant Donahue (Stephen Decatur) gave up a run in his only inning despite loading the bases with none out. Mark Smith (Mount Hebron) retired the first two hitters of the sixth but loaded the bases before getting out Taylor Itnyre (Brunswick) on a come-backer to end the inning.
Archbishop Spalding’s Jordan Carr pitched a scoreless top of the seventh, thanks to a nice running catch by Wilde Lake’s Cuinn Mullins, which robbed Nick Johnson of extra bases and an RBI.
Newsome, who struck out 17 batters in a 1-0 victory over Mount Hebron in the Class 3A state final May23, was named the South’s Most Valuable Pitcher. He threw two scoreless innings and gave up just a single.
“They don’t come out too much when the games are on the line,” King said of his pitchers. “They all threw well. We had five quality pitchers.”
The South got on the board in the bottom of the third when Garrett Southern (Glenelg) singled home Griffin Wild (Severna Park) to make it 1-0. Mullins’ sacrifice fly later in the inning scored Southern for a 2-0 lead.
The North got its only run in the fifth when Johnson (North Harford) singled to score Itnyre, who had walked to lead off the inning. Johnson was named the North’s offensive Most Valuable Player, while Colin Kirchner (Middletown) was the team’s Most Valuable Pitcher.
Mullins went 2-for-3 with a triple and drove in a run for the South. He also preserved Carr’s shutout inning when he tracked down Johnson’s drive toward the wall in left in the seventh.
“I got a good jump on it and I saw it all the way,” Mullins said. “It was just a play I was supposed to make, and I made it.”
Wild was on base three times with a pair of walks and a single, and he scored twice for the South, which avenged a 4-2 loss to the North last year.
“We showed a lot of patience, and whenever they gave us a pitch to drive, we executed,” Wild said.