South, North stars settle for city split

The first Public League all-star doubleheader Tuesday at Brooks wound up as a split decision with the South winning the opener 9-1 and the North taking the nightcap 10-0 in five innings.

Young’s Joe Frahm was named Game 1 MVP after sparking the South with a three-run homer in a five-run second inning.

“Coach [Ernest] Radcliff told me to look for a fastball,” Frahm said. “It was belt high.”

Frahm sent the first pitch from Foreman’s Michael Delgado just over the fence in center field, a 400-foot shot.

The South’s lineup had three draft picks: Simeon shortstop Steve Florence (White Sox, 50th round), Young third baseman Troy White (Cleveland Indians, 48th round) and Young catcher Julian Kenner (White Sox, 45th round).

“We have a lot of talent and our guys wanted to show what side of the city has the best baseball,” Simeon coach Leroy Franklin said.

In the first inning of the opener, White laced a double into right field, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch. Frahm added a RBI single in the fourth and Kenner and Kenwood’s Daveed Todd scored unearned runs in the sixth.

In the nightcap, Lake View’s Ulises Ortiz pitched a three-hitter while striking out six and was voted game MVP. Schurz’s Victor Centenero was 2-for-2 with three RBI and Carlos Ruiz was 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs.

Baseball coordinator Eddie Curry put the event together.

“Ideally we want to help give our kids exposure [to colleges],” Curry said. “We wanted to make sure we got everything right before we go to a bigger venue like U.S. Cellular Field. We have some great players here. Hopefully we’ll be able to get more coaches out and send more kids on to college.”