Booker Leads Southern All-Stars to 7-6 Win at Five County Stadium

ZEBULON, N.C. - Winston-Salem's Joel Booker hit a leadoff home run in the last of the first and drove in four runs overall while leading the Southern Division All-Stars to a 7-6 victory versus the Northern Division All-Stars in the 2018 Carolina League All-Star Classic presented by US Foods on Tuesday night at Five County Stadium.

Booker went 3-for-4 with a first inning home run, a run scoring groundout in the fifth and a two-run single in the sixth while totaling four RBI in the Southern Division victory.
"I think tonight was the first night I swung first pitch of a game in a long time," said Booker after taking the first pitch thrown by Northern Division and Salem Red Sox starter Daniel Gonzalez deep to left.
"With the All-Star game, you're getting the best of both leagues" said Booker. "So to come out here and play with the best of them, it was fun."
Booker's home run came after the Northern Division had already taken an early lead as they rallied for three runs and three hits in the first off Southern Division and Mudcats starter Cam Roegner. 
Frederick's Ryan McKenna started the game with a double, Salem's Santiago Espinal followed with a walk and Potomac's Carter Kieboom went on to single to right to load the bases. A sacrifice fly from Potomac's Jake Noll brought in the game's first run as McKenna scored from third to give the Northern Division a 1-0 lead. Frederick's Preston Palmeiro followed with a RBI groundout and a run scoring hit from Wilmington's Kort Peterson capped the first inning rally as the Northern team took the early 3-0 lead.
Booker answered with his homer in the first, but the Sothern team would later fall behind 4-1 in the fourth when Potomac's Tres Barrera hit a solo home run off Down East's Edgar Arredondo.
The 4-1 lead did not last long through as the Southern squad rallied back with two runs the fifth to pull within one. They then scored four in the sixth to not only tie the game, but take the lead as well for the first time at 7-4.
The Southern half of the fifth started with a leadoff single from Carolina's Max McDowell and continued with Winston-Salem's Luis Basabe reaching safely on an error at third. With runners at second and third, Booker went on to drive McDowell with a groundout and another RBI groundout from Leody Taveras would plate Basabe. Alex Wells pitched the fifth and ended up allowing two unearned runs on one hit.
The Southern team trailed 4-3 after their two run fifth, but then another run scoring groundout, from Andretty Cordero, ended up plating Chuck Leblanc to tie the game at 4-4. Leblanc started the frame with a single off Tyler Erwin and was immediately moved to third when Abraham Toro singled to center. Toro later scored the go-ahead run on a ground-rule double from Ronnie Dawson and a two-run single to center from Booker in the next at-bat lifted the lead to 7-4.
The Northern Division came back with a run scoring single from Conner Capel eighth and then a moonshot home run from Kieboom in the ninth, but Down East's C.D. Pelham came in for the final out while earning the save.
Kieboom went 3-for-5 with two runs and a home run in the game for the Nothern Division All-Stars. Peterson and Capel both went 2-for-4 with a RBI.
Booker led the Southern Division with his MVP worthy, three hit and four RBI performance. Toro also had multi-hit game after going 2-for-4 and Dawson was 1-for-1 with a RBI double.
"It was an honor for me to be here," said Southern Division and Mudcats manager Joe Ayrault after the game. "Our staff felt the same, it was a great experience for us. To see these players in our dugout, it was awesome."
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