AKRON—Green High School’s Jack Zimmerman opened the Northeast Ohio Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Series nightcap on Tuesday at Canal Park with two scoreless innings of work on the mound.
He closed it with a two out, two run single in the bottom of the ninth that left his Gold team in a 6-6 tie with the Maroon in a battle of Summit County All-Stars.
Zimmerman, who signed to continue his education and baseball career at Kent State, finished the game 1-for-1 with a walk and two RBI.
The Gold All-Stars took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth when Woodridge’s Jacob Margroff drew a two-out walk and took two bases on a passed ball. He scored when his Woodridge teammate Preston Clark singled.
The Maroon All-Stars scored three runs in the top of the sixth when Copley’s Nicholas Mastrangelo hit a leadoff single and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy’s Steven Taylor doubled. Taylor, who was thrown out trying to advance to third, finished the game 2-for-2.
CVCA’s Chris Fair then reached on an error and Matt Owen reached safely on a fielder’s choice and stole second. Firestone’s Dustin James and Medina’s Trace Peterson hit back-to-back doubles to give the Maroon a 3-1 lead. James finished 2-for-2 and Peterson had a pair of RBI doubles in the game.
Zimmerman drew a leadoff walk for the Gold in the bottom half of the inning and scored on a bases loaded double play to pull the Gold to within 3-2 of the Maroon.
Stow’s Jordan Jolley led off the seventh with a triple and he scored on Max Stillisano’s suicide squeeze to put the Maroon team up by two.
The Maroon All-Stars made it 6-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth.
Peterson doubled home James and St. Vincent-St. Mary’s Brandon Bischof picked up an RBI when he knocked in Peterson to give the Maroon All-Stars a comfortable—or so it seemed—four run lead.
Margroff led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and Clark was hit by a pitch before the Maroon All-Stars recorded the first out of the inning.
Cuyahoga Falls’ Nate Vassalotti singled to score both runners and Garfield’s Tyrique Bryan hit a two out single to keep the inning alive for Zimmerman, who hit a laser to center field to tie the game.
Due to time constraints, the game ended in a draw.
