Baez hits home run, wins MVP in all-star game

By Jeff Christian

Published: June 24, 2008

Potomac Nationals outfielder Edgardo Baez hit an eighth inning solo home run and was named Carolina League MVP as the Carolina League defeated the California League 3-1 in Tuesday's All-Star game in Myrtle Beach.

The game was tied at one and Baez's blast proved to be the winning run.

The Carolina League added one more run in the eighth. Niuman Romero walked and went to second on a single by Koby Clemens.

Romero scored on a single by Brandon Hicks, the Pelicans shortstop who was playing in front of his home crowd.

The Carolina League scored its first run in the bottom of the first inning. Frederick's Matt Wieters sin-gled to score Wilmington's Joseph Dickerson.

The tying run came across in the fifth. The California League scored as Archie Gilbert's single drove home Pedro Ciriaco.

Jim Negrych, an infielder from the Lynchburg Hillcats who is batting .362, went 2-for-3 for the Carolina League.

Two other Potomac players, infielder Matt Rogelstad and pitcher Josh Wilkie, were on the Carolina League squad.

Rogelstad was the starting second baseman, went 0-for-2 and made a fielding error.

Wilkie pitched the top of the third inning and recorded two strikeouts.

The Carolina League out-hit the California League 8-6.

Kanekoa Texeira, representing the Winston-Salem Warthogs, was the winning pitcher. He allowed one hit and recorded one strikeout in the eighth inning.