2013 PEBA All-Star Game: Live blog from Bakersfield, CA

[John]

Today's game starts at 12:30 p.m. ET and will be blogged live.

View the IL and SL All-Star rosters here

Get ready for the 2013 PEBA All-Star Game! This year's Summer Classic is being held at The Chocolate Factory at Yum! Field, home of the Bakersfield Bears of the Sovereign League. Bakersfield enters the All-Star break on a tear, having won six straight to take a commanding hold of third place in the Desert Hills Division and vault themselves into the final SL wild card spot. Keep your browsers tuned to this spot to catch all the action as the Imperial and Sovereign Leagues duke it out for bragging rights. We'll have the blow-by-blow for you right here on BNN!

[John]

Imperial League All-Star Starting Lineup

LF Yoshino Miyata (FLA)
3B Jean-Pierre LaPierre (CST)
1B Rob Raines (ARL)
DH Luis Torres (FLA)
CF Carlos Reyes (MAN)
RF Jeff Wilson (CST)
2B Bud Hoffmann (ARL)
SS Lee Kohler (NJ)
C Jeff Cline (MAN)

Starting Pitcher: Keitaro Kodo (FLA) (13-2, 2.37 ERA)

Sovereign League All-Star Starting Lineup

2B Joel Swedlove (KAL)
3B Barry Murdock (CL)
CF John Gustafson (PS)
DH Narahiko Imada (OMA)
RF Pat Lilly (BAK)
1B Sok-man Yi (CL)
LF Cal Edwards (BAK)
C Manuel González (OMA)
SS Raúl García (KAL)

Starting Pitcher: Markus Hancock (TEM) (9-3, 2.33 ERA)

[John]

After a very lengthy rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, we are ready to begin! We've got 39,669 on hand tonight to watch the Midsummer Classic. The weather is beautiful: 66° and not a loud in sight. A perfect night for baseball.

Markus Hancock is starting the game for the SL in the top of the first. Let's see how things unfold...

[John]

The only damage against Hancock in the first is a two-out Rob Raines single. Cal Edwards made a nifty little knee-high grab on a tricky liner to left off the bat of Luis Torres to end the inning. Now Keitaro Kodo gets to show what he can do for the IL.

[John]

Kodo goes 1-2-3 in his first frame of work. Hancock again gives up a 2-out hit, this time to Bud Hoffmann, and again strands the runner at first. Kodo's up again for the bottom of the 2nd, with Omaha's Narahiko Imada leading off.

[John]

Oooh, a little miscommunication between CF Carlos Reyes and SS Lee Kohler there. A pop-up that should have been caught for an out instead drops into shallow center for a leadoff hit. That's what you get when you have players who aren't used to playing together. Let's see if the SL can capitalize. Bakersfield's own Pat Lilly - the man, the myth, the legend - is up next.

[John]

A developing situation! Lilly's single advanced Imada to third with no one out. Here comes Crystal Lake's Sok-man Yi. Looks like the SL will be the first on the board tonight.

[John]

SL is first-and-thirding them to death. Yi's liner to right drops in front of Jeff Wilson. Imada scores, Lilly advances two bags. IL 0 - SL 1. The crowd is cheering for Bear Cal Edwards, who is up with an RBI opportunity.

[John]

D'oh! A tailor-made double play was not quite what the hometown crowd was looking for from Edwards. Lilly scores on the play, though. IL 0 - SL 2.

[John]

Kodo can't seem to stay out of trouble. He's walked back-to-back hitters with two outs. We're back to the top of the order now. Kalamazoo 2B Joel Swedlove is at the dish. This is probably Kodo's last hitter one way or another.

[John]

A fly out to Wilson in right finally ends the inning, but the SL has drawn first blood in this one. Hancock leaves the game on top 2-0, and Bakersfield's Pedro Barrón enters to thunderous applause. He'll be facing the 9-1-2 hitters for the IL in the third.

[John]

Barrón allows an up-the-gut base knock from Yoshino Miyata. He retires LaPierre for our #2 and then pitches very carefully to Arlington super-stud Rob Raines, resulting in a walk. IL now has runners at 1st and 2nd with two away and Flordia DH Luis Torres coming to the dish.

[John]

Easy scoop-and-toss out grounder to 2B Swedlove ends that little threat. We move to the bottom of the third. Arlington's Carlos Pérez is the first pitcher brought in from the bullpen for the IL.

[John]

This has been a pitcher's game through 4. Tempe's Conan McCullough looked particularly impressive, striking out two in his inning of work. Now Kijuro Kojima is in for the SL to start the 5th, and New Jersey's Lee Kohler greets him with a hit that goes past Swedlove and into right for a single. #9 hitter Jeff Cline will try to get something going here for the SL.

[John]

Oh wow, what a grab! After Cline had walked to put two runners on, Miyata hit a dinky little pop-up into foul ground that looked like it would fall harmlessly, but 3B Barry Murdock was on his horse and made a diving grab to snag it for out #1. That's going to be a big help for Kojima.