All-Star Festivities Close Out Another Memorable Season

2013 All Star Photo Gallery

2013 HSBN Broward All County List

It was a lights-out performance.

The 2A-6A emerged victorious in the Third Annual HSBN Broward Senior All-Star Game on Wednesday night at Westminster Sports Complex in Lauderdale Lakes. The Red squad rode a big seven-run fourth inning to pull out an 8-1 victory over the 7A-8A Blue Team in a game shortened because of an area power outage.

Pembroke Pines Charter’s Kevin Ellenbogen and Cody Fuchs and Zion Lutheran’s JR Meneses supplied RBI singles, before Coral Springs Charter’s Luis Guillorme put the game away with a bases-loaded double that cleared the bags.

Also scoring were Fort Lauderdale’s Alec Bryant and Cardinal Gibbons’ David Pedraza, after both reached base on errors. Coral Springs Charter’s Stephen Kerr walked and scored in the frame, and Guillorme came home when University School’s Michael White drilled an RBI double to complete the single-largest scoring inning in the short history of the HSBN Broward All Star Game.

Mother Nature was gracious enough to finally relent enough for the contest to be played, after endless rain storms forced the game to be postponed just before its start Saturday.

With Calvary Christian’s Andrew Liberty pitching to Coral Glades’ Jacob Melton in the top of the seventh inning, the neighborhood experienced its second local blackout to disable the stadium floodlights and force the game to be called.

A similar power surge had delayed the contest for nearly half an hour two innings before, as the stadium lights slowly powered back on.

These uncontrollable circumstances did not dampen the spirit of the event, which featured Broward County’s top senior players taking the field one last time. The night also featured games such as spin-the-bat, All-County award presentations and entertaining announcing from Luis Perez.

The HSBN Broward Senior All Star Game is more than just the final event of the season each year. It also marks the anniversary of the HSBN company with a game that always delivers.

Archbishop McCarthy and Red Team Manager Rich Bielski seems to know a thing or two about keeping a streak going, which helped him earn Coach of the Year honors. Bielski was joined on his staff by Fort Lauderdale’s Terry Portice, University School’s Eddie Tisdale and Coral Springs Christian’s Matt Cleveland.

Coach Portice was joined on the mound by Blue Team assistant and Cypress Bay Manager Mike White for a tribute pitch to celebrate a special pair of lives. Both coaches lost their wives during this season, and on the mound they joined in a moment of solidarity to pay tribute to Angela White and Eileen Portice the best way they know how.

The Blue Team was managed by Douglas’ Todd Fitz-Gerald, with St. Thomas Aquinas’ Troy Cameron and Northeast’s Kevin Carney serving as assistants.

The umpire crew was also voted in by the county’s coaches. This honor went to Steve House, Dave Katz, Allan Friedman and Ken Mauer. Gregg Grimmett was also voted in but was unable to attend on the reschedule date.

Throwing out the ceremonial first pitch was HSBN sponsor Dr. Gary Bofshever, whom was responsible for sponsoring all of Broward’s players for complete player profiles this 2013 season.

This signature event grows every year, as players, coaches, sponsors and volunteers help to make it a can’t-miss experience. Evident of this was the effort made by this year’s Player of the Year recipient, Coral Springs Christian junior Touki Toussaint. Upon learning he would be presented this award, Toussaint flew home from a summer baseball tournament in Atlanta in time for Saturday’s original start time. Unfortunately, Toussaint was unable to make a second trip to receive his award for Wednesday’s make-up date.

Archbishop McCarthy’s Brian Gonzalez was also unable to attend to accept his Pitcher of the Year award.

A great many fans were able to come out and root on two teams that came ready and eager to play.

The Blue Squad opened with a run in the first inning to stake their bid for two years in a row, after the team came back for a 7-4 victory last season. All-County first-teamer and American Heritage ace Shaun Anderson started the contest for the Red Team. Even though Blue drew first blood, Anderson settled in and got the defense working with him to limit the damage.

Coral Springs’ Tre Dingus drew a one-out walk in the first, and Western’s Ryan Gabriel lined a singled to left field to put two runners on. Coral Springs’ Vinny Cerullo followed by rolling the ball up the infield grass, where the shortstop Luis Guillorme made a nice scoop and throw to second for the fielder’s choice putout. Dingus moved to third on the play, and then came home on a wild pitch.

Guillorme was equally impressive at the plate, going 2-for-2 to cement his claim in winning the Hitter of the Year award.

After plunking St. Thomas Aquinas’ Alec Byrd with a pitch, Anderson snared a liner back to the mound to end the frame. He returned for a 1-2-3 second inning that set the tone for the pitching staff from there.

The Red squad held the Blue group scoreless the rest of the way. University School’s Shane Wise, Archbishop McCarthy’s Jason Stettner, Somerset’s Brandon Acevedo and Fort Lauderdale’s Brad Smith each tossed an inning.

Nova’s Gabriel Valverde singled to right field off of Wise, and was moved over on a great sacrifice bunt by Coral Springs’ Justin Mixon. The ball rolled slowly up the first-base line to allow courtesy-runner Danny Pardo of West Broward to easily reach second base, while Wise made a nice scoop and toss to first for the out.

The right-hander recorded his second strikeout of the inning to escape the jam.

Deerfield Beach’s Brian Johnson reached base on an error that likely would have gone for a hit had the throw been on line anyhow, to put a runner on against Stettner in the fourth. The Red group responded with a 6-4-3 double play to erase the threat.

Acevedo was pressured early off when South Plantation’s Sal Rodriguez singled and stole second leading off the fifth inning. Acevedo settled down and struck out the side.

Smith struck out the first two hitters he faced, before Gabriel and Cerullo drew consecutive walks. Archbishop McCarthy’s Jonathan Quintana chased down a foul ball past third base to end the threat.

Quintana was on the opposite end of the final out of the fifth inning, when Coral Glades’ Jacob Melton induced a flyout to end the inning after Calvary Christian’s Keith Oren drove home Andrew Liberty on a sac-fly RBI.

Coral Springs lefty Jordan Barrett got the start for the Blue Team, tossing two scoreless innings. Barrett got out of a bases-loaded jam in the second on the strength of a 6-4-3 double play, and he also recorded two strikeouts.

Cypress Bay ace Jeremy Tache worked the third and fourth innings, working a pair of strikeouts around a hit from University School’s Andrew Denis and a walk to Westminster Academy’s Daniel D’Onofrio to end the third. Even as the Red squad punched in six unearned runs on Tache in the fourth, the hurler battled back to record consecutive outs before turning it over to allow Melton to pick up a swinging strikeout for the third out.

Western’s Sean Horner notched a scoreless sixth inning, unaware that the second power surge would leave him with the distinction of recording the final out.

As we close our third season, we would like to thank all of the coaches, fans, and players who have helped lead to a foundation of the best high school baseball community in the nation. In the future, we look forward to continuing to work tirelessly in order to provide the hard-working players and coaches the exposure they rightly deserve. We hope everyone has a great summer, and we will see you all again in the fall!!!

All-Time Broward All-Star Game Results

2011 – 1A-4A 10, 5A-6A 9

2012 – 7A-8A 7, 2A-6A 4

2013 – 2A-6A 8, 7A-8A 1

*Portions of all HSBN events are donated to the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation.

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