Base: North All-Stars get good Wood on it

From courierpress.com

Jake Wood knew it was gone as soon as he hit the ball.

In the top of the fourth inning with his North squad trailing 3-0 in the first game of a July 11 doubleheader at the North-South All-Star baseball series, Wood blasted a two-run home run over Braun Stadium’s right-field fence onto the University of Evansville soccer field, bringing his team within one run.

With a 2-0 count, Wood, a first baseman from Noblesville, was sitting on a fastball. South pitcher Matt Duncan from Brownsburg tossed just that, allowing Wood to exact a little revenge.

“During the regular season when we played them, (Duncan) struck me out,” Wood said. “I wasn’t feeling too good about that, so it felt good to even the score a little bit.”

The North was still celebrating Wood’s homer when Bryce Feller of Carroll (Fort Wayne) also deposited a Duncan pitch over the right-field fence, tying the score at 3-3. The North rolled from there, 15-5, then won the second game by an 11-4 count.

Plymouth’s Brandon Elliott was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

“I actually didn’t get to see the home run,” Wood said. “People were still giving me fist pounds, and I turned around and it was out of the ballpark. That was the spark we needed to get back into the game.”

Although the game was an exhibition, Wood and his teammates wanted to win.

“You want to come out and represent the North as best as we can,” Wood said. “It’s fun to come out and play against people you know, but at the same time we are trying to win.”

Wood also played football for Noblesville, lining up as a defensive end and running back. He will play baseball for the University of Texas at San Antonio.

A bright spot for the South squad was Evansville North outfielder Kyle Horstman. The future Wabash Valley player had three hits – including a triple – two stolen bases, and two outfield putouts.

“I felt like I gave it everything I had,” Horstman said.

Despite losing the initial game of the series, Horstman was proud to represent Evansville, though his weekend was hampered by a sore hamstring.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “It is a great feeling, especially since I live in Evansville. With all these people out here – all these 50 great athletes, families, and everything – it’s a great feeling.

“I love being a part of it.”

The Sunday series finale, a wooden bat game at Bosse Field, also was won by the North by a 3-2 count.