Eastern Division All-Stars send West boys packing

By Naples Daily News staff

The Eastern Division All-Stars sent all nine hitters to the plate, cranked five hits and scored five runs -- including back-to-back homers by Palm Beach's Allen Craig and Vero Beach's Rhyne Hughes -- in a decisive fifth-inning to top the Western team, 8-4, at the Florida State League All-Star Game in Daytona Beach on Saturday night.

Both Fort Myers Miracle representatives -- starter Oswaldo Sosa and reliever Eddie Morlan -- saw action for the Western team.

Sosa, a late replacement for Clearwater's Patrick Overholt, gave up two hits and two runs, both on a homer to left by Brevard County's Cole Gillespie with two outs in the bottom of the second. Sosa added a strikeout, getting Hughes swinging before Gillespie's shot tied the game at 2.

Morlan relieved his teammate in the bottom of the third, allowed a lead-off single to Jupiter's Andrew Jenkins and a walk to Daytona Beach infielder Matt Matulia. After a force to get Jenkins at second put runners on the corners with one out, Morlan got Daytona Beach's Tyler Colvin to ground into a 4-6-3 double to play to end his night.

Sarasota righty Logan Ondrusek took all the lumps in that fifth inning and the loss, while Palm Beach Cards lefty Tyler Norrick got the win after retiring three of the four batters he faced in the fourth inning. Craig and Hughes had two hits apiece for the East, while Sarasota's Michael Griffin went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Lakeland's Cameron Maybin and Sarasota's Jay Bruce added two hits each for the West.

The Miracle, 29-38 and finishing fourth in the West after an up-and-down first half, open the second half at home on Monday night at 7:05 against the Tampa Yankees.