Many of the pitchers who participated in Wednesday night’s Houston Area Baseball Coaches Association Junior Game threw in the Area Code Combine and additional competition the previous day, prompting an assistant coach to predict the offenses would have a field night.

Once the game began, they did.

In a game featuring five lead changes and 17 hits, the Red team used a two-run rally in the sixth inning to edge the Blue 7-6 at Rice University’s Reckling Park.

“We saw them (the pitchers from the combine) again tonight and we knew they were good pitchers,” said Red team and Klein Collins centerfielder Tyler Naquin, who went 3-for-3 with a two-run double. “A few of us selected to play more (Tuesday) and we saw those guys again and it helped a bunch.”

Thirty-three juniors were selected for the game, which was watched by scouts from Texas Tech, Utah, the University of Houston and the St. Louis Cardinals among other organizations.

“We were just trying to put the ball and do things we were used to doing during the season,” said Bellaire’s Jarrett Higgins, who played for the Red team. “And we did.”

Rain and lightning delayed the first pitch 89 minutes. Both teams quickly made up for lost time, scoring two runs each in the first inning.

Stratford’s Jake Miller cranked a ground-rule double off the batter’s eye to start the game, then scored on Brandon Wood’s RBI single. Wood, from Fort Bend Clements, scored on a sacrifice.

The Red sent eight men up in the bottom of the first. Pearland’s Kevin Miller had an RBI single on the heels of an error, and another error scored Cypress Woods’ Andy Lada to make it 2-2.

Cypress Ridge’s Princeton Jackson singled and scored in the third to give the Blue a 3-2 lead, but the Red wrestled the lead back with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Langham Creek’s Ryan Sedeno singled, Lada singled through shortstop to tie the game and Naquin unloaded down the left-field line for a 5-3 lead.

“I was just hitting the ball where it was pitched – curveball, fastball, I just sat on it,” Naquin said.

Cody Robinson of Lamar Consolidated homered in the fourth to bring the Blue within 5-4, then in the sixth Cy-Fair’s Kevin Sah led off with a triple and Jackson singled him home to tie it. Lamar’s Marquis Kindle scored on a sacrifice to make it 6-5.

Katy’s Jarred Fancher and Fort Bend Kempner’s Kyle Von Tunglen had back-to-back RBI singles in the bottom of the inning to give the Red the lead for good.

Other area players included Katy catcher Andrew Stumph, Memorial’s Michael Ratterree, Cy-Fair’s Zach Thomas and Stratford’s Kevin Hahn.

“The main thing is you want to have fun and do your best,” Higgins said. “I’m just hoping to find a college to go to. Anything else after that would be nice. Anyone who wants me to play there, I’m willing.”

Naquin had a slightly different take.

“It’s not even as much that as just playing with guys from other schools,” said Naquin, who listed Texas, Baylor and TCU as his primary suitors. “It’s good to play with guys you know from Bellaire, Westside, all those guys. It’s a big experience.”

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