Mississippi Braves center fielder Mycal Jones rounds third after a solo home run to give the South a 1-0 lead early in the game Tuesday night in the Southern League All-Star game at AT&T Field.Montgomery outfielder Taylor Motter went 3-for-3 and had a sixth-inning home run to propel the South Division to a 6-4 victory Tuesday night in the Southern League All-Star Game at AT&T Field.
Motter, who earned the MVP honor, hit .319 with 32 RBIs during the first half with the Biscuits.
"He had two hits, and I told him that you don't win an MVP trophy in an all-star game if you don't go deep," said Mobile manager Andy Green, who directed the South Division. "He said, 'I'll do it right here.' He went up there with a bomb or bust mentality, and it was pretty cool to see him hit one right down the line. It was an impressive performance."
Said Motter: "I definitely went for it, that's for sure. It was a fastball low and in, and I was swinging on the first pitch. This was just a fun experience all around."
It was the third consecutive win for the South Division, which survived a two-run homer by Chattanooga's O'Koyea Dickson in the ninth inning. The North had won seven in a row before the South's current run.
A crowd of 4,487 attended Tuesday's game that concluded the all-star festivities. The Southern League's second half begins Thursday.
"This was a great crowd tonight, and this whole all-star week has been marvelous," Chattanooga Lookouts general manager Rich Mozingo said. "The city has really shown up, and we've had a great couple of days. My favorite part, far and away, was when these players went to T.C. Thompson's [Children's Hospital] and Siskin [Children's Institute] and when we had a clinic for our RBI [Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities] kids.
"On their off day, not a single guy batted an eye. Every single one of our players was happy to be doing what they were doing and giving back to this community. They had a chance to give back something they've been given."
Mississippi outfielder Mycal Jones led off the third inning with a home run to left field to put the South up 1-0. Later in the third, Pensacola's Rey Navarro singled to left to score Mobile's Jake Lamb to make it 2-0.
The South extended its advantage to 4-0 in the fourth on a two-run double down the left-field line by Jacksonville outfielder Brady Shoemaker. Motter's homer to left opening the sixth made it 5-1.
Chattanooga's Scott Schebler doubled off the left-field wall with one out in the second inning and advanced to third on a single to left by Huntsville's Jason Rogers but didn't score. Schebler hit a homer to right in the sixth that measured 447 feet and pulled the North within 5-2.
"I've had a ball this week," said Chattanooga manager Razor Shines, who guided the North. "This is what happens when you get quality players together. Dickson and Schebler both hit home runs tonight, so this was just a lot of fun."
Before the game, the Southern League recognized the 10 new Hall of Fame inductees. Each of the 10 teams had an inductee, with owner Frank Burke representing the Lookouts.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.