Steamers Stand Out For South All-Stars In All-Star Game Victory
Edenton, NC – The South All-Star Team won the 2022 Premier Collegiate League All-Star Game against the North All-Stars, 6-4. The South Team was made up of the Edenton Steamers and the Tarboro River Bandits, while the North All-Star Team collected the best players from the Greenbrier Knights, Virginia Beach Sea Dogs, Norfolk Redbirds, and Suffolk Voyagers.
A couple of Steamers set the tone to open up the game. Cole Bates started on the mound for the South and struck out the side in his only inning. Nate Paulsen singled home a run in the bottom half of the inning to put the South ahead 1-0.
The North All-Stars struck back in the third inning. Phil Forbes, from the Suffolk Voyagers, brought in a run on an RBI groundout to tie the score 1-1.
The Steamers set the table for a big River Bandits swing in the fifth. Alden Cottle and Chase Bruno singled to put runners at first and second with one out. Tarboro’s Chase Heath blasted a three-run home run to put the South ahead 4-1.
The Virginia teams wouldn’t go down without a fight. Quincy Sippio, from the Greenbrier Knights, and Justin Liakos, from the Norfolk Redbirds, had back-to-back RBI singles to get two runs back, and made it a 4-3 game.
Hunter Cole, one of three Steamers outfielders in the All-Star Game, ripped a double in his only at-bat of the night. Cole moved to third on a wild pitch, and then advanced home on another wild pitch. Cole’s individual effort put the South back ahead by two, 5-3.
Tate Abbott continued to represent the Steamers well. Abbott crushed a solo home run to right field to add an insurance run for the South. This made it a 6-3 game.
The North added a run against Tanner Thach in the ninth, but the left-hander closed things out to preserve a 6-4 win for the South All-Stars.
The Steamers had 6 of the South’s 10 hits, scored four of the team’s six runs, and had two pitchers throw a scoreless inning. This wraps up a productive All-Star Weekend for the Steamers, with Steamers catcher Jeremiah Boyd winning the Home Run Derby on Friday night at Historic Hicks Field.
The Clams have the day off on Sunday, before getting back into the stretch run of the season Monday night. The Steamers will play the Tarboro River Bandits, the second of four straight between the teams, at Historic Hicks Field at 7:00 pm.