South stars shine in NEC baseball all-star game

LYNN – The best baseball players the Northeastern Conference had to offer were on display on Tuesday at Fraser Field in the league’s annual All-Star Game. It was the South all-stars who got the better of it against their counterparts from the North, as a five-run second inning broke the game open en route to a 10-5 win for the small-school team.The South got the scoring started in the bottom of the first when Gloucester’s Conor Ressel and Ryan Cusick singled. A single from Hunter Gordon of Swampscott loaded the bases before Marblehead’s Eric Steen drove in Ressel and Cusick with a single to center.The North got a run back in the top of the second when Peabody’s Ryan English led off the inning with a mammoth homer against Saugus’ Craig Cole to make it 2-1. The score didn’t stay that way for long as the South busted the game open in its half of the second.Swampscott’s Steve Moran and John Pelletier singled before Gloucester’s Trevor Curley drove home Moran for a 3-1 lead. Two more runs came home on a throwing error before Cole doubled home Curley and Marblehead’s Dan Comeau for a 7-1 lead.Danvers sophomore Kyle Larson completed the explosion with a two-out single to left that brought Cole home for a 7-1 lead.It stayed 7-1 until the fourth, when English speedster Esteban Paula singled and moved to third on a wild pitch and passed ball. Jared Shields of Peabody drove him home with a single to center.The South then put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fourth against Beverly’s Peter Kallas. Walks to Ressel and Saugus’ Tyler Calla and a single from Cusick increased the gap to 8-2. Gordon then delivered two more runs with his second hit of the game for a 10-2 lead.Classical’s Wilson Mercado drove home a pair of runs in the sixth against Gloucester’s Dylan Maki to cut the gap to 10-4. A Paula sacrifice fly closed the scoring in the seventh.