Senior All-Star baseball series is a fun time for all participants

RIDGEFIELD – All-star games are supposed to be about fun.

And that’s what the players were having on Wednesday night at the 43^rd Clark County Senior High School All-Star Baseball series at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Center.

“It’s just a chance to get out one more time with guys I’ve played with or against since Little League,” said Columbia River’s Nick Alder, who played for the American League team.

Mountain View’s Riley McCarthy, who played for the National League team, added: “I’ve battled against these guys for years. And even though I’m the only Mountain View guy here, Russell Fearington (from Evergreen) was my teammate in Little League when we were 9.”

Alder and McCarthy not only had fun, they also played well as they were selected MVPs for their teams in the doubleheader of eight-inning games that serve as feeder game for the Senior All-State series in Yakima next month.

This year’s All-Star games were a little bit different in that some players from the larger schools had finished their high school seasons in the past two weeks, while players from smaller schools haven’t played a high school baseball game in well over a month.

“We asked one of our pitchers if he had been throwing at all since his high school season ended,” McCarthy said. “He said ‘Oh yeah. I’ve been throwing.’ But later he admitted he hadn’t and was just trying to go as long as he could.”

That would explain the nine-run first inning the American League team posted in the first game that featured seven walks and two errors. Battle Ground’s Tyson Lindemood had a two-run single and La Center’s Riley Fender added a two-run double in the inning.

Alder would later add a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning and a two-run double in the seventh as the Americans won 15-2.

The second game featured a pair of River pitchers starting for each squad – Alder for the Americans and Sawyer Parkin for the Nationals.

Alder’s highlight of the night was his first-inning triple off Parkin that led to the Americans’ first run.

“That was a lot of fun,” the Linfield-bound Alder said.

But after being held hitless for five innings, the Nationals rallied for three runs in the sixth on consecutive doubles by Isaiah McLeod of King’s Way Christian, Caeden Chambers of Hockinson, Colby Andrew of Ridgefield and Parkin.

McCarthy would add a two-run single in the eighth to cap a 6-1 win for the Nationals.

Alder went 2 for 5 with a double, triple and three RBI in the two games and also pitched three hitless innings.

McCarthy went 3 for 6 with two doubles and three RBI. He also caught all eight innings in the opener.

He thought he might get a chance to play the outfield in the nightcap. When asked the last time he played outfield, the University of Portland-bound catcher said “Uh, Little League.”

That didn’t happen, but McCarthy and Alder still supplied plenty of highlights to cap the high school baseball season in Clark County.

CLARK COUNTY SENIOR ALL-STAR BASEBALL SERIES

AMERICAN LEAGUE 15, NATIONAL LEAGUE 2

AL           900         110         40—15  10           0

NL           010         100         00—2    5              4

American

Pitching – Irving Alvarez 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 1 BB; Mikey Miller 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 1 BB; Riley Fender 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K; Jack Davy 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB. Highlights – Nick Alder 1-3, run, 2B, 3 RBI; Irving Alvarez 3 BB, 2 runs, 2 SB; Russell Fearington 0-1, 2 BB, run; Xavier Gilmore 2 RBI; Jordan Wiggins 2-2, 2 runs, RBI; Riley Fender 1-3, run, 2B, 2 RBI; Tom Lambert 1-2, RBI; Aidan Hundt 1-1, run; Jordan Head 1-2, run; Walker Atkins 1-1, run.

National

Pitching – Isaiah McLeod 0.2 IP, 1H, 5 ER, 1 K, 5 BB; Derek Kropp 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 4 BB; Cade Reitzenstein 3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 4K, 2 BB; Caeden Chambers 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 K. Highlights —  Sawyer Parkin 1-3, run; Riley McCarthy 2-3, 2 2B, run, RBI; Aiden Pisarczyk 1-2, BB; Max Mitchell 1-2, BB, RBI.

NATIONAL LEAGUE 6, AMERICAN LEAGUE 1

NL           000         003         12—6    6              1

AL           100         000         00—1    10           0

National

Pitching – Sawyer Parkin 3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 1BB; Ryan McClintock 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 5 K; Caeden Chambers 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R; Easton Ortega 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K. Highlights – Riley McCarthy 1-3, 2 RBI, BB; Brady Culp 1-4, run, SB; Isaiah McLeod 1-3, 2B, run; Caeden Chambers 1-3, 2B, run, RBI; Colby Andrew 1-2, 2B, run, RBI, BB; Sawyer Parkin 1-3, 2B, RBI.

American

Pitching – Nick Alder 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB; Sam Sutton 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, BB; Jordan Head 2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3K; Tom Lambert 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K, 2 BB. Highlights – Irving Alvarez 1-3, 2B; Nick Alder 1-2, 3B, run; Russell Fearington 1-2, RBI; Xavier Gilmore 2-2; Jordan Wiggins 1-3; Brett Runyon 1-2; Duke Beamer 1-2; Tyson Lindemood 1-1, 2B; Drew Rachor 1-2.