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Johnson Jr. hits walk-off single

BURLINGTON, N.C – The East defeated the West 6-5 at the 2022 Appalachian League All-Star Game presented by Visit Alamance Tuesday night at Burlington Athletic Stadium. After Greeneville’s Brock Daniels (Missouri) hit a game-tying, two-out two-run single in the top of the ninth, Danville’s RJ Johnson Jr (Gulf Coast State College) hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom half to give the East the victory over the West.

Princeton’s Woody Hadeen (UC Irvine) was named the All-Star Game MVP. Hadeen finished 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored, one walk and four stolen bases. Hadeen scored the winning run on Johnson Jr’s walk-off single.

The East scored twice in the bottom of the first, Pulaski’s Ryland Zaborowski (Miami OH) hit an RBI single and came around to score on a wild pitch. In the third, Johnson City’s Roberto Peña (Kansas State) hit a solo home run to get the West on the board. In the fourth, Hadeen hit a two-run home run to extend the East’s lead to 4-1. One inning later, Bluefield’s Ryley Preece (Morehead State) scored on an error to put the East up 5-1.

The West started their comeback in the seventh when Elizabethton’s Avery Owusu-Asiedu (SIU Edwardsville) hit an RBI single. In the eighth, Elizabethton’s Peyton Basler’s (Charleston Southern) RBI ground out pulled the West within two.

With the bases loaded and two-outs in the top of the ninth, Daniels hit a game-tying two-run single to extend the night. Hadeen walked leading off the bottom half, then stole second and third. Johnson Jr’s RBI infield single scored Hadeen to give the East a 6-5 victory.

Princeton’s Rece Parker (Rogers State) earned the win in relief, Kingsport’s Matthew Cornelius (Pima Community College) took the loss.

Daniels finished the night 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI, one run and one stolen base. Zaborowski finished 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run. On the mound, Greeneville’s Riley Taylor (Oklahoma State) struck out the side in a perfect third inning. Greeneville’s Jack Liberio Jr (RCSJ – Cumberland) and Bluefield’s Andrew Dye (Limestone University) both needed just seven pitches to retire the side in order. Burlington’s Peter Gallo (Saint Joseph’s) and Danville’s Tanner Smith (Presbyterian) both struck out two in one perfect inning of work.

The 2022 Appalachian League season continues Wednesday night. Johnson City will play a doubleheader in Kingsport beginning at 5:30 PM. Elizabethton travels to Bluefield with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 PM. Princeton at Bristol, Burlington at Danville and Pulaski at Greeneville are all scheduled to begin at 7 PM.