Some action from the 20th Annual Senior All-Star Baseball Classic includes (clockwise from top left) Deshaun Broughton (Towers), Nazir Bennett (M.L. King), Giovanny Rios-Barrios (Lakeside) and Christian Yates (Clarkston). (Photos by Mark Brock)
A six-run first inning and four pitchers combined on a one-hitter as the West Seniors ran away to a 14-2 victory over the East in the 20th Annual DeKalb County Senior All-Star Classic at Gresham Park’s Hank Aaron Field on Tuesday evening.
Nitin Rao (Lakeside) and Bryson Parker (Druid Hills) had RBI singles in the big first inning for the West while David Welsh (Chamblee) had a sacrifice fly and Jude Hiley (Druid Hills) drew a bases-loaded walk.
Rao pitched the first two innings for the West setting down all six batters he faced including two strikeouts to set the tone for the West pitching staff.
Cullen Riel (Druid Hills) had an RBI triple and Parker picked up his second RBI in as many at-bats with another single in a three-run second inning for the West to push the lead to 9-0.
The East picked up a run without benefit of a hit as Jose Cedeno Chacon grounded out to score Clarkson’s Jason Phan to get his squad on the scoreboard.
Stone Mountain’s Tyreek Foy broke up the no-hitter in the top of the fourth with a bunt single but was erased from the base path trying to steal.
An error allowed the East to score its last run of the game in the top of the fifth inning with Stone Mountain’s Adam Bryant coming in to score after walking to start the inning.
An RBI single by Giovanny Rios-Barrios (Lakeside) and an East error allowed the West to put up two more runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 11-2.
Parker closed out the game in the bottom of the sixth by the mercy rule as he hit one in the right-center field gap that turned into a three-run inside-the-park homerun for the final of 14-2.
The Senior All-Star Classic MVPs were (l-r) Bryson Parker (Druid Hills) and Yahodahn Manggrum (Miller Grove). (Photo by Mark Brock)
Rao got the win with his two innings to start the game and teamed with Keenan Nelms (Decatur), Sean O’Brien (Chamblee), Jude Hiley (Druid Hills) and Cullen Riel (Druid Hills) on the one-hitter. Skylon Jackson (M.L. King) took the loss as the starter for the East.
Bryson Parker was named the West squad’s MVP after going 3-4 with a double and inside-the-park homerun and a record setting five RBI. Giovanny Rios-Barrios (Lakeside) was also 4-3 with an RBI to go with three outstanding plays in the field including a diving catch in left field, a leaping snag of a line drive at short and a pick and throw of a grounder in front of second for another out.
Rao was 2-3 with two runs scored and an RBI and Keenan Nelms was 2-3 with three runs scored.
Tyreek Foy had the only hit for the East. Miller Grove pitcher Yahodahn Manggrum pitched three innings of relief for the East allowing just one unearned run while facing 14 batters to earn his team’s MVP honors. He was Miller Grove’s fourth Senior All-Star MVP and first since a three-year un from 2010 to 2012 by the Wolverines.
The West now leads the series 6-4 (2013-2023) as the squads have split the last four meetings.
See links below for box scores and All-Star Classic records: