Purdue's Ben Nisle, Jack Firestone Impress at College Summer League All-Star Game
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — On a picturesque evening in downtown Indianapolis at Victory Field, Purdue baseball was well-represented by Ben Nisle and Jack Firestone at the College Summer League at Grand Park's All-Star Game Thursday night.
Nisle and Firestone are both outfielders for the Park Rangers in the wood bat summer league in suburban Indianapolis, which was organized in the spring as a Central Indiana alternative option for summer ball.
Nisle represented the Blue Team, while Firestone played on the Red Team in the All-Star Game. Both players got the start in left field.
Nisle made an immediate impact in the game in the bottom of the second inning, when he made two impressive catches. The first catch he made was a sliding one, laying out in foul territory to claim the out.
"I thought it was going to be fair for a second, but I looked and it kept tailing, so I dove and, yeah, it happened," Nisle said humbly about the catch. One batter later, he had to chase a hard-hit line drive into left-center field, and Nisle used his speed to catch up to it, making the catch look rather simple.
Nisle, a junior outfielder from Schererville, Ind., impressed with his bat, too. In the top of the fourth, he delivered a leadoff single.
In the fifth inning, Firestone arrived on the scene by making a sprinting catch in foul territory in left field. He made contact with the wall, but hung on to it just long enough to secure the out.
Firestone came through at the plate, as well, leading off the bottom of the sixth with a stand-up double. The double by the freshman from Zionsville, Ind., started a rally for the Red Team that ultimately won them the game.
After Firestone's leadoff double, the Red Team followed with a single and a walk to load the bases for Indiana University third baseman Cole Barr. Barr belted a bases-clearing triple to give the Red Team a 3-1 lead. Firestone plated the game's tying run.
Later in the inning, Barr scored via wild pitch and propelled the Red Team to their eventual victory 4-2. Firestone's team earned the bragging rights over Nisle and his club.
"We both were talking smack this week to each other," Firestone said jokingly about playing on opposite teams against Nisle.
"That was awesome,'' Nisle said. "He(Firestone) also made a really good catch against the wall, so it was good to see him out here too."
The Park Rangers are back in action on July 20, as Nisle and Firestone return to being teammates again and look to make a late season push to claim a spot in the Grand Park League's championship game on Thursday, July 30 at Victory Field.
Both have had successful summer seasons up in Westfield. Nisle produced the top exit velocity (106.99 mph) in the league during the second week of the summer league season. For games on June 29-30, his 418-foot home run was the longest in the league.
Firestone connected for a 394-foot blast that same week, good for fourth longest in the league.
