Pitcher’s duel ends in stalemate at Agganis Baseball Classic

LYNN – There is a cliché used in sports that says, “There are no losers in an all-star game played for a good cause.” The 19th edition of the Harry Agganis Baseball Classic took this saying to a new level, as the game ended in a 1-1 deadlock on Sunday afternoon at Fraser Field.View Photo GalleryHighlighted by MVP performances by the South’s Ben Bowden (English), who threw two perfect innings while striking out his first five batters, and the North’s Alex Toomey (Beverly), who whiffed three in two scoreless frames, all hitters were kept at bay. In total, nine pitchers combined for 20 punchouts on the afternoon.”I felt great on the mound today,” said Toomey of his last high school outing. “It’s a great honor to win MVP for my side. I gave it my all out there and was proud to represent my city the way I did. To get recognized out of all the talent that competed today is an amazing feeling.”The North managed to score the game’s first run in a wacky inning that saw the South’s Patrick Ruotolo strike out four batters. After getting Bishop Fenwick’s Joe Levasseur swinging, Tommy Connors (Amesbury) would reach first base after his swinging third strike reached the backstop.Ruotolo caught Max Nesbit (Manchester Essex) looking before he issued a walk to Masco’s Gregory Jain. On an ensuing attempt at a pitchout, South catcher Kyle Devin (Classical) interfered with Daniel Rivet’s (North Andover) swing, which loaded the bases.A passed ball shortly after allowed Connors to score before Cory Burnham became the fourth South player to fan in the inning. The lead would hold until the bottom of the seventh as the North staged a rally to tie the game.Medford’s Jake Porrazzo reached on an error at third base to kick-start the inning before Marblehead’s Connor Green got back-to-back popouts to right field. Richard Scanlon reached on a full-count walk.Lynnfield’s Connor Lordan would follow up with a clutch, game-tying RBI single to left-center leading to a shocking finish. Jorge Perez (Classical) lined a single up the middle that looked like the game-winner, but Toomey charged the ball and nailed Scanlon at the plate to end the game.”That was a great play to end the game,” explained Everett’s first-year head coach Joe Lento. “The catcher made a great play at the plate on a terrific throw and it was a great job by Connor and Jorge coming up with those clutch hits.”Bishop Fenwick was well represented in the game as all three North hits came off the bats of Crusader players. Brian Burke (single), Gianni Esposito (double), and Mike Mackenzie (single) led the way offensively for the visitors.In such a meaningful game, winning or losing (or, in this case, tying) doesn’t seem to matter much. The players show up and compete one last time together and just try to have a great time, something Toomey made a priority.”I played in a senior all-star game yesterday against a Connecticut team, so I already knew coming into today to just have some fun and that’s exactly what I did,” he explained. “The majority of the kids that played today were locals who I have actually had the chance to play summer ball with. These were two great squads.”North coach T.J. Baril (Masconomet) echoed the sentiment, saying, “It was great to just hang out with a bunch of guys who love to play baseball. It was a cool experience to be a part of. It was a laid-back atmosphere with a lot of laughing. It was more of a social situation, which is great after a long season.”