By Steve Krah
PBR Indiana Correspondent

WHITING — The South won twice on North soil Saturday, July 9, in the 43rd renewing of the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North-South All-Star Series at Oil City Stadium. 

Cutting the North’s all-time series lead to 64-58, the South won 7-6 and 15-2 heading into the wood-bat finale at noon CST Sunday, July 10. 

The dividing line between North and South for a series which began in 1975 is currently S.R. 32 and S.R. 36 

GAME 1

South 7, North 6 

New Albany’s A.J. Nixon, the South center fielder, rapped three hits while Perry Meridian’s Mitchell Garrity and North Central’s Alan Lozer drove in two runs each to pace the South, which ended a three-game losing skid to the North. 

“I haven’t really hit that much lately,” said Nixon, who helped New Albany to a sectional title this spring. “I was just trying to get my hands to the ball and make good contact. 

“Get your hands to the ball and good things happen.” 

The North won all three series game in 2015 in Terre Haute. 

Two hits each were produced for the North by Lake Central’s Zach Turnbough (two runs scored), Portage’s Hunter Thorn and Hobart’s Luke Budzielek. 

South right-hander Spencer Mattix (Knightstown) was the winning pitcher. North left-hander Zack Thompson (Wapahani) absorbed the loss. 

The South stranded three runners in the top of the first inning of a game where there no three-up, three-down halves. 

Kenton Crews (Heritage Hills) led off the game with a single and was promptly erased attempt to steal second base on a peg from catcher Logan Green (Huntington North). 

North right-hander Tyler Fairchild (Oak Hill) issued a two-out walk to 2016 Indiana Player of the Year T.J. Collett (Terre Haute North) and Collett moved to third base on a double by Jordan Cozart (Evansville Central). A walk to Matt Gorski (Hamilton Southeastern) loaded the bases.  

But Fairchield bared down to hold the South scoreless. 

Collett, tweaked his knee was lifted for a pinch runner, and did not take the field in the bottom of the first, being replaced at catcher by Duncan Hewitt (Lawrence North). 

The North threatened but did not score in the first. 

Turnbough smacked a one-out double off right-hander Nick Prather (Zionsville). A wild pitch allowed Turnbough to reach third base, but that’s as far as he got as Prather recorded his second strikeout to end the threat. 

The South scored a two-out run in the bottom of the second inning. 

North right fielder Jeremy Griggs (Lafayette Jeff) made a diving catch to take a hit away from Lozer for the first out. 

Trevor Yoder (Barr-Reeve) singled and was thrown out trying to steal second by Green. 

Justin Jenkins (Terre Haute South) lashed a two-out double. Crews drew a walk and Garrity was hit by a Fairchild pitch to load the bases. 

With Hewitt at the plate, a passed ball allowed Yoder to score the game’s first run. 

Hewitt walked to load the bases again and the inning ended with them loaded. 

After two quick outs, the North loaded the bases on three straight walks by Prather. The Florida Atlantic-bound hurler came back with a strikeout to close out the frame. 

Thompson took the mound for the North to begin the third inning and yielded three runs as the South took a 4-0 lead. 

Lozer ripped a two-run single up the middle to plate Gorski and Nixon — both on base with singles. 

Garrity rapped a single to left to score Lozer. 

The North tallied one run off Prather in the bottom of the third inning. 

Turnbough was issued a lead-off walk and scored on a triple to right by Thorn. Prather ended the rally with a strikeout. 

The South added another run against Thompson in the top of the fourth inning. 

Nixon bashed a one-out RBI double to center to plate Gorski (on by fielder’s choice). 

Mattix ook the mound for the South in the bottom of the fourth and the North tied the scored at 5-5 with four runs. 

Budzielek led off the double to right, moved to third on a Green single and scored the North’s second run on an error made during the game play. 

Green scored on a single to center by Turnbough. A wild pitch and throwing error allowed Turnbough to cross the plate with the North’s fourth run. 

On a fielder’s choice to shortstop off the bat of Noah Eaton (South Central-Union Mills), Thorn beat the throw home for the tying run. 

South took a 6-5 lead in the top of the fifth inning when Crews reached on a three-base error and scored on Garrity’s groundout against Thompson. 

The North left runners at second and third base in a scoreless bottom of the fifth against Mattix. A line drive by Turnbough was snagged by South first baseman Nick Wright (Bloomington South) to end the frame. 

Right-hander Tucker Waddups (Pioneer) came on in relief for the North to start the sixth inning and yielded a run for a 7-5 South lead. 

Takahiro Yamada (Columbus East) lofted a sacrifice fly to center to score Conner Hasecuster (Shelbyville), who led off with a single. 

A two-out rally by the North in the bottom of the sixth sliced the South advantage to 7-6. 

Elliott Jackson (Daleville) popped an RBI double to center to plate Mike Snyder (Fort Wayne Northrop), who walked. 

A diving stop and throw to first by South second baseman Yamada prevented any further damage against Mattix. 

North center fielder Jake Clawson (Yorktown) made a diving catch to rob Wright in top of a scoreless seventh inning for the South. 

Right-hander Justin Reed (Lawrence North) took over pitching duties for the South in the bottom of the seventh. 

Milo Beam led off with a walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and third on a groundout by Brady Sheehan (Homestead), but Reed fanned two straight batters to squelch the rally. 

The South went scoreless in the eighth inning against Waddups, though Yamada cracked a one-out single. 

Reed pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth for the South with a pair of strikeouts. 

Right-hander Jackson Anthrop (Lafayette Central Catholic) took the hill for the North and tossed a scoreless ninth inning. 

Garrity knocked a one-out double to right and stole third base, but was left there as Anthrop fanned two of the last three batters he faced. 

Facing Reed in the bottom of the ninth, the North put the first two batters on before he shut the door. 

Jono Bigger (North Newton) led off with a single to right Beam walked before two strikeouts — Reed wound up with seven K’s — and a game-ending groundout. 

GAME 2

South 15, North 2 

It was like the South was fighting each other to get the the bat racks.  

Of the winner’s 15 hits, three rang off the bat of Crews. Wright and Grant Ellis (Terre Haute South) drove in three runs each and Jenkins scored three. 

Jasper right-hander Cal Krueger was the winning hurler and Anthrop took the loss. 

The South — the designated home team — jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and rolled from there. 

After Krueger retired the side in order in the top of the first inning, Wright rapped a two-run double for the South, plating Crews (on with a lead-off triple to right) and Yamada (on by walk) against Anthrop. 

Krueger got another 1-2-3 inning in the second. 

A four-run second against Anthrop allowed the South to take a 6-0 lead. 

Jackson Blevins (Plainfield) led off the South second with a cue shot into the right field corner for a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly to center from Ellis. 

Jenkins singled to right and later scored on Yamada’s single to left. 

A sacrifice fly to center by Wright drove in Crews (who walked). 

Hasecuster singled to center to knock in Yamada. 

Budzielek’s single to right was the North’s first hit off Krueger, who faced 10 batters in three scoreless innings. 

North right-hander Andrew Saalfrank (Heritage) began his mound stint in the bottom of the third inning and gave up three runs for a 9-0 South lead. 

Blevins singled to center and later scored on Jenkins’ single to right. 

An infield hit by Crews drove in Ellis (who walked). 

A sacrifice fly to center by Yamada knocked in Jenkins. 

South left-hander Luke Buehler (Guerin Catholic) came on in relief in the fourth and pitched a scoreless frame, giving up a walk and a single to Snyder. 

After issuing a lead-off walk, Saalfrank sat down three straight South hitters in the fourth. 

Buehler retired the side in the top of the fifth with a strikeout. 

North left-hander Cam Beauchamp (Peru) relieved in the bottom of the fifth and got a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. 

Buehler faced the minimum in the sixth. Beam walked but was later thrown out trying to steal third base by South catcher Hewitt. 

In six-run South sixth —Beauchamp’s second inning — Gorski pounded a two-run double to left, plating Cozart (who walked) and Nixon (who reached by error) 

Yoder hit an RBI infield single to score Gorski. 

Crews ripped a single to left to tally Yoder. 

Jenkins walked and later scored on a wild pitch. 

Crews trotted home on a passed ball for a 15-0 South lead.

North right fielder Beam threw a laser beam to cut down a runner at the plate to end the uprising. 

South right-hander Reid Werner entered in the seventh. After Clay Hinrichsen (Southwood) got on by error, Werner gave up an infield single by Turnbough. 

The shutout went away with a two-run single from Green, scoring Hinrichsen and Turnbough. 

North right-hander Dalton Leighty (Western) took the mound for a scoreless seventh inning with one walk. 

In the North eighth, Ryan Bixler (Lewis Cass) singled off Werner, but was gunned down trying to steal second by South catcher Hewitt. 

Leighty retired the South in order in the bottom of the eighth. 

Werner sealed the South win with a 1-2-3 ninth, including a game-ending strikeout.