Team #1 tops all-star showdown

The “underdogs” hung tough most of the way but they eventually fell 10-4 to Team #1 in the annual Rainy River District Fastball League’s all-star game last Thursday in Barwick.
“They were tied for most of the game,” noted organizer George Oltsher, who also managed Team #1. “In the bottom of the fifth, the game was broken open with a three-run home run by Warren Voth.”
Don Copenace put Team #1 out front early with a solo shot in the bottom of the first. But Team #2 roared back in the top of the second on Murray Armstrong’s two-run blast.
After Grant Swire tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom half of the frame, Team #2 jumped right back out in front in the top of the third courtesy of a two-run homer by Justin Wagner.
But Team #1 fought back, and lead 5-4 going into the bottom of the fifth when Voth connected on his three-run blast to make it 8-4.
They added two more runs in the last of the sixth to ice the scoring.
Voth struck out 10 players on the mound for Team #1 while Murray Armstrong fanned six for Team #2.
“The best players in the fastball league were picked to participate in the all-star game,” noted Oltsher. “There is no one team–there is no Bulldogs, no Barwick. Each player was voted on to the team.”
All seven teams in the RRFDL received 10 ballots to vote. Each ballot had 11 spots on it, including ones for the manager and utility player.
The ballots, which had to be submitted no later than Aug. 4, then were sorted and the players who made the team were notified Aug. 8.
Gary Noga, who played second base for Team #2, said the only reason he was playing in the game was because one guy got hurt. He said a lot of other guys were in the same situation.
“I was third pick for the team. A guy got hurt so they called me,” he noted. “For the players of the second team, it usually boils down to who is available to play.
“Don’t get me wrong, you still have to be a good ball player,” he said.
Oltsher said the all-star game has been an on-going tradition over the past 20 years.
“There are no prizes for this game, it is pride,” he stressed. “These guys are in it for the pure enjoyment of the game.”