BASEBALL Minors mark first half with own all-star games

The Triple-A game was filled with offensive highlights.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Johnny Estrada of the Richmond Braves had a homer among three hits and drove in three runs Wednesday night to lead the International League to a 13-9 victory over the Pacific Coast League in the AAA All-Star game.
Estrada had a single, double and homer as the IL snapped a four-game losing streak in the annual contest.
The game was a slugfest from the start with 26 hits -- including six home runs. The 22 runs set a AAA All-Star record, eclipsing the 17 in 1993. The IL scored in all but one of the first seven innings, including three runs each in the fourth, fifth and sixth.
Top performances
Estrada, the game's MVP, was not alone in the offensive production for the IL. Both Lou Collier of Pawtucket and teammate Anton French had a homer among three hits.
Collier's two-run shot came in the sixth. French's closed out the scoring in the top of the ninth.
No PCL player had more than one hit.
The PCL benefited from three IL errors, leading to six of the PCL's nine runs. Richmond's Andy Pratt was tagged with all three earned runs on four hits and two walks in the fourth.
The PCL's biggest hit was a three-run homer by Oklahoma's Jason Jones in the sixth that cut the IL lead to 11-9.
But an RBI single by Aaron Miles of Charlotte in the seventh and French's homer extended the lead.
Jason Smith of the Durham Bulls also homered for the IL, hitting a two-run shot in the fourth.
Sam Marsonek, the Columbus Clippers' right-hander, pitched a perfect fifth for the IL and was the winner. Jason Ryan of the Memphis Redbirds, who gave up three runs in the fifth, took the loss.
Double A
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- Terry Tiffee grounded a single in the bottom of the ninth inning to break a tie and push the Northern Division to a 6-5 win over the Southern Division in the Eastern League All-Star Game at New Britain Stadium Wednesday.
Tiffee, who plays for the New Britain Rock Cats, hit the single off Brian Schmack, a pitcher for the Erie SeaWolves. Chris Basak scored the winning run.
Tiffee went 2-for-5 with two RBI and earned the Sportsticker Star of Stars Award.
Trenton's David Shepard, who came on as relief in the ninth, earned the victory by retiring three in a row.
Schmack was charged with the loss.
The North held a 5-3 lead going into the ninth. The South tied the game with runs scored by Altoona's Shawn Garratt and Bowie's Ivanon Coffie. Bowie's Mike Fontenot batted in Garratt and Akron's Luis Gonzalez hit a single to bring in Coffie.
The Southern Division scored in the first inning when Harrisburg outfielder Noah Hall hit a grounder and scored Jose Castillo of Altoona.
Craig Brazell of Binghamton and Norwich's Mike Cervenak had RBI singles for the North.