Weather wins out as SAL All-Star game ends in 3-3 tie

Dash Winningham has been one of the more popular Columbia Fireflies over the past two seasons.

Playing in front of the home fans on Tuesday, Winningham didn’t disappoint as he earned MVP honors in the South Atlantic League All-Star game on Tuesday. The game was called because of rain and wet-field conditions in the top of the eighth with it tied 3-3 between the Northern and Southern Division squads.

“This is my second year here with the best fans, and they treat me like I’m at home. It’s awesome for them to treat me like family,” Winningham said.

Winningham and teammate Michael Paez received the loudest ovations in pregame introductions and every time they came to the plate.

After a slump in late April to early May, Winningham saw his average dip to .198 but he finished the first half on a tear. He had a two-homer game against Augusta on May 29 and was third in the SAL in RBI with 46 to go along with 11 homers.

On Tuesday, Winningham was 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBI. The Florida native had a two-run double in the first inning to put the Southern Division up 2-0.

“It was awesome. The weather was a little rough, but I had fun out there competing with the best guys in the league. I enjoyed the experience,” Winningham said.

Now, Winningham will wait and see if his first-half performance was good enough to deserve a promotion for the second half of the season. Fireflies’ manager Jose Leger said three or four players would be moving up but didn’t reveal which ones.

“Winningham has done a tremendous job,” Leger said. “He was off to a slow start, but he turned it on and finished strong.”

Winningham was one of four Fireflies players to see action in the game. Merandy Gonzalez started on the mound for the Southern Division and pitched a scoreless inning. Reliever Adonis Uceta struck out the side in the seventh and left the bases loaded.

Michael Paez was 1-for-3 and scored on Winningham’s single.

Hagerstown’s Aldrem Corredor was 2-for-3 with a two-run single, which gave the Northern Division a 3-2 lead in the second inning.

West Virginia’s Ty Moore was named the Defensive Player of the Game.

The Fireflies return to action Thursday at home against Kannapolis.

This story was originally published June 20, 2017 at 10:29 PM with the headline "Weather wins out as SAL All-Star game ends in 3-3 tie."