Homers the Theme of the Day as American Tops National

7/5/09

The Tomahawk East League came together on Sunday in Gibbon for the annual All-Star game. The league was divided into two teams based on the original two division format that was in place before the league decided to go to three divisions at the March league meeting.

The day began with a home run derby. Players from the entire league were invited to participate with an entry fee of $10 going to youth baseball. Participants over 40 years of age were allowed to use aluminum bats to try to launch balls over the short left field fence at McGowan Field.

The first round saw twenty-four players participate with Searles' Casey Lux leading the way with three home runs. Everyone who hit at least one homer advanced to the second round. In the second round, Tony Stadtherr of the Gibbon Reds found his home run stroke and launched three balls out of the park for the win. The Tigers had three participants in the derby: Chris Sturm, Steve Helget, and Marc Salazar. Sturm hit one homer in the first round to advance to the second where he was shut out.

An announced attendance of 637 fans saw a well-played game by both teams, with home runs making the difference. For the Americans, Matt Baier launched a two-run homer to give them an early lead. Chris Reinarts hit a solo homer for the National Division to get them on the board. Chris Sturm hit a solo shot for the American Division and they led 5-1 going into the ninth. The afternoon's sunshine gave way to some dark clouds and sprinkles in the later innings. The National Division made it interesting, pushing across one run before they were retired, ending the game 5-2.

Joey Walter of the Sleepy Eye Indians earned the game's MVP award, going 3-for-4 on the day. His name will be added to the traveling Jeff Cook All-Star MVP trophy.

Thank you to Gibbon for a fantastic job hosting this celebration of amateur baseball! Good luck to all the TEL teams as we enter the home stretch of the regular season with playoffs beginning at the end of the month!

Program

All-Star Game Program and Rosters

Pictures