BlueClaws All-Stars Shine Bright in Greensboro
Published on June 17, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Jersey Shore BlueClaws News Release
GREENSBORO, NC - All four Lakewood BlueClaws all-star representatives contributed in big ways to the North Division's 13-4 rout of the South at the 2008 South Atlantic League All-Star Game Tuesday night at NewBridge Bank Park.
Drew Naylor struck out two of the three batters he faced in working a perfect sixth inning for the North. Michael Taylor went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI while Mike Durant also went 2-for-5, hit a homerun and drove in two. Joel Naughton entered the game in the seventh inning and singled in his first at-bat.
Naylor's performance earned him the game's Most Outstanding Pitcher award. He was brought in to start the sixth inning and after inducing a groundout of Luis Exposito (Greenville Drive), he struck out Francisco Pena (Savannah Sand Gnats) and Yamaico Navarro (Greenville) to end the frame. No pitcher in the game pitched more than one inning. Naylor has struck out 97 batters during the regular season, a total that leads all of the SAL.
Taylor started the game in leftfield and the cleanup spot for the North. After grounding out to third in his first trip to the plate, he singled into left off of Madison Bumgarner (Augusta Greenjackets) to load the bases in the third but was stranded at second when the inning ended. Taylor got a chance to bat again just an inning later, off Henry Mabee (Kannapolis Intimidators), with runners on first and second and two outs. He doubled to leftfield to score Matt Cusick (Lexington Legends). Taylor grounded out in the sixth and popped up in the eighth inning during his final at- bat of the game. He entered the all-star break leading the league in batting average (.361), hits (90) and on- base percentage (.441) while is second in slugging percentage (.554) and fifth in RBI (50).
Durant left his mark on the game in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-run homerun to left-centerfield off Randall Taylor (Asheville Tourists). He had also picked up a single in the fifth inning while striking out in his other three at-bats. Durant was named to the all-star team as the designated hitter despite missing nearly the final month of the first half with a sprained ankle. He hit 10 homeruns for the BlueClaws in his first 40 games with the club. He is expected to be with the BlueClaws to open the second half.
Taylor and Durant were two of only four players on the North team that played the entire game.
Naughton came in as a pinch-hitter for Sean Rooney (Hagerstown Suns) in the seventh inning and promptly singled off Jason Stephens (Charleston RiverDogs). He remained in the game and caught the remaining two innings. Four of the six hitters to bat with Naughton catching struck out. He grounded out in his second trip to the plate. Naughton is hitting .271 with 23 RBI but is known throughout the league as one of the best defensive catchers. He has thrown out 27 runners attempting to steal this season (46.6 percent), a total that ranks him first among all catchers in the SAL.
The North won the game for the third year in a row and has tied the South 7-7 since the All-Star Game shifted back to a North-South format in 1995. The North outhit the South 18-9 and scored at least two runs in six of the eight innings they came to the plate. The game was played in front of 8,367 fans in Greensboro, NC.
Lakewood will open the second half at FirstEnergy Park on Thursday after completing the most successful first half in team history with 38 wins. They open a four-game home stand with the Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians) at 7:05pm. The first 2,000 fans 18 years old or older will receive an Instant Lottery ticket courtesy of the New Jersey Lottery. Call 732-901- 7000 for tickets or visit BlueClaws.com.
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