Players from all over Alabama were at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium for the 2017 AHSAA North-South All-Star baseball game with the North coming away with a 9-3 victory in the opening game of the series.

Andalusia’s Ethan Wilson was the leadoff hitter for the South All-Stars and he showed patience at the plate as he drew a walk to start the contest.

Wilson quickly made his presence known at first and caused the North pitcher to balk.

After moving to second on the balk, Wilson flashed his wheels as he swiped third base with one out in the inning.

Eric Toth followed with a hard hit ball to second that caused an error and allowed Wilson to score the first run of the game.

The North All-Stars’ leadoff batter, Josh Hall, reached off an error to start the bottom of the first inning.

Hall stole second and then third before coming into to score on fielder’s choice off the bat of Will Pierce.

The final out of the first inning came on a fly ball to Wilson in center field.

In the top of the second inning, Trent Avery reached on a single and then came around to score on single from Slade Gorman to put the South up 2-1.

The North All-Stars picked up a pair of hits in the bottom of the second and then an error allowed the tying run to score.

In the bottom of the third inning, with one-out and the bases loaded, South shortstop Jeremiah Jackson made a diving stop and flipped to second for the second out of the inning.

The South second baseman then fired to third well ahead of the runner, but the South third baseman forgot it was no longer a force play and never attempted a tag.

After the lapse in judgment extended the inning, the North All-Stars got a two-RBI single from Brody Moore to give them a 5-2 advantage.

The North All-Stars added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Pierce drew a bases loaded walk that scored Clay Stearns.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Garrett Bodine drove in two runs with a triple to gap in the right center to put the North All-Stars on top 8-3.

Bodine then came in to score on sacrifice fly.

The South All-Stars added their final run of the game in the top of the seventh inning when Cory Peterson drove in Tyler Robertson with a single.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Wilson said of the All-Star experience. “All of the guys on my team are really cool and were are creating friendships that will last a lifetime. This is my first time playing at Riverwalk and it’s a really nice field. It’s been a great experience.”

Wilson has also had the opportunity to enjoy the experience with his head coach Tyler Dent, who was selected as one of the South All-Star coaches.

“It really means the world to me having Coach Dent here with me,” Wilson said. “I love Coach Dent like a father. He is a great guy and great coach. It takes some of the pressure off me knowing that he is here with me.”