Warren's 10-11 year-old All-Star team was slow to start, but fought to the finish in an 11-9 comeback win over St. Mary's to open All-Star play on Thursday at Betts-Jackson Field.
St. Mary's started off the game hot, scoring four runs in the first inning, but Warren would answer with three of their own, thanks to a three-run jack by Austyn Cummings.
St. Mary's would score four more in the second, and this time Warren couldn't answer.
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Times Observer photo by Mitchell Wilston
Homerun hero
Warren's Austyn Cummings is congratulated by his teammates after crushing a three-run homer during Warren's 11-9 win over St. Mary's on Thursday at Betts-Jackson.
In the third inning the Warren All-Stars made a pitching change, putting in Lance Baldensperger who would eventually get the win, but they would still trail 8-3 until bottom of the fourth inning.
That's when Warren's bats started cracking.
A two-run fourth inning, made possible by a two-RBI double from Baldensperger, would make the score 8-5 before St. Mary's could pull away for the last time, 9-5.
In Warren's fifth inning at bat they opened the flood gates, scoring six runs to take the lead off of several walks and a huge ground rule double by Owen Balas.
A 1-2-3 inning in the sixth was all it took to hold of a St. Mary's comeback and seal the deal for themselves.
Baldensperger had five strikeouts in the win.
St. Mary's 440 001 - 9 10
Warren 300 26x - 11 7
2b- Lance Baldensperger (W) 2, Jackson Knupp (W), Owen Balas (W), Alec Bitler (M), Dan Wimer (M), HR- Austyn Cummings (W), Alex Bitler (M). WP- Baldensperger. LP- Hunter Casaner.