PEARL — Six South All-star pitchers combined to three-hit the North in a briskly played D.M. Howie Mississippi High School Class 1A/2A/3A All-Star Game.

The South’s 7-2, nine-inning win, took just one hour and 53 minutes to complete, breaking the previous shortest game record from 1998 by 10 minutes.

Flashing the best glove of the game was St. Aloysius’ Ryno Martin-Nez, who started at third base for the South. The Hinds Community College signee was named the game’s outstanding defensive player. He made three flawless plays at the hot corner, including a gem in the first inning to kill the North’s only rally until the ninth inning. It was the first time he’s played third base this year, but it won’t be the last.

“It’s going to be my position at Hinds. I may pitch some as well. I’m going to have to fill some big shoes there replacing (Nick) Schneeberger,” Martin-Nez said of the former Hinds third baseman who has signed with Tulane.

His best web gem came in the top of the first after two North batters had reached with one out. Hamilton’s Dylan Earnest sent a chopper past South pitcher Zach Weber, forcing Martin-Nez to break on the ball. Martin-Nez made a running, barehanded grab and threw to first to get Earnest for the out. Weber then induced a second ground ball with runners on third and second to get out of the jam.

“It was a play that just happened. I barehanded the ball and threw the guy out,” Martin-Nez said. Martin-Nez missed much of his senior season at St. Al recovering from a devastating knee injury during football. He came back near full strength by the playoffs to lead the Flashes to a second straight Class 1A state championship.

“I’m happy. To be able to get here and play on this team and perform. I really think we had the best defensive team of all the classifications here,” he said.

Through seven innings, the South pitchers had pitched a no-hitter. Their two highest profile signees, Southern Miss-bound Jackson Posey and LSU-bound Jacoby Jones, gave up the no-hitter and the shutout.

Posey, from Sumrall, gave up two hits in the eighth. The two runners, however, were left at second and first as Posey came back wth a strikeout and then induced a lineout double play at second. St. Aloysius’ Pierson Waring caught Joel Lacy’s flip of the lineout to double off Myrtle’s Beau Cummings for an inning-ending play.

Waring led off the eighth with a walk and then went to third on a hit-and-run off Cathedral representative Tyler Smith’s single to right. Waring, though, was erased on a forceout at the plate. The South, however, did tack on three runs coming on a flyball to right off the bat of Joey Harris. Earnest made the catch, but his throw home short-hopped his catcher and the throw back to the plate was also botched, allowing for a third run to score off the double error.

The North avoided a shutout, getting two runs off Jones in the ninth.

The South’s best pitcher of the game was Edinburg’s Mitchell Wooten. Wooten, who St. Al beat in the first round in a tight three-game series, retired all six batters he faced. Evans was behind the plate in his 1-2-3 sixth inning.

“It was the first time I’ve caught him, but I knew what his stuff looked like,” said Evans. Wooten, Evans and Waring were all teammates on the Jackson 96ers last year. “It was fun to play with these guys.”

Waring agreed

“Good experience. You got Jones, who’s going to either LSU or the pros, and a bunch of other high division I guys,” Waring said.

The South used its two speedsters, Mississippi State signee Chase Lewallen of Sumrall and Franklin County’s DeKendrent Collins, to score its four runs through the first three innings. Lewallen opened the first with a walk followed by Collins’ bunt single. LSU signee Jacoby Jones was hit by a pitch and then two flyballs to center field brought in Lewallen and Collins for a 2-0 advantage.

In the third, Lewallen and Collins both reached on hits to center. A third hit by Jones loaded the bases and that was followed by two ground balls to plate Lewallen and Collins to make it 4-0.

Lewallen, who scored two runs and made four solid plays at second base, was named the South MVP. Collins had three hits and two runs scored to earn Offensive MVP honors.