The 31st Annual Deppe All-Star Classic was played Saturday at Fegeley Stadium in Limeport, pitting high school seniors from the Colonial League against seniors from the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference to benefit the American Cancer Society.

After the EPC battled from behind to take a lead, the Colonial League stars battled back only to have the game end in a 5-5 tie after nine innings.

The Colonial League scored single runs in each of the first three innings off Freedom’s John Yocum to grab an early 3-0 lead. Jacob Cassel (Southern Lehigh) and Skylar Heft (Wilson) kept the EPC off the basepaths for the first four innings, until Nate Horvath of Nazareth was hit by a pitch with one out in the fifth.

Nazareth’s Jake Trenberth delivered the big blow of the inning, with a two-run single to put the EPC squad ahead.

An inning later, Pleasant Valley’s Matt Pierce led off the inning with a base-hit, moved to third on consecutive singles from Nate Leaswitch (Central Catholic) and Kyle Friebolin (Parkland). The Colonial League got a ground ball double-play, but Pierce scored on the play, moving the EPC to a 5-3 lead after six innings.

The Colonial League cut the lead to one-run in the seventh with the help of two EPC errors. Zachary Rex of Northern Lehigh drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second. Another walk followed by a sacrifice fly from Ryan Sharkey of Saucon Valley made it a 5-4 game. In the eighth, two more errors and a sacrifice fly from Catasauqua’s Alejandro Monteverde tied the game 5-5, where it would stay.

Kevin Johnson of Palisades was named the MVP for the Colonial League, with a single, walk and a run scored in the game.

Nazareth’s Trenberth was named the EPC’s MVP thanks, in part, to his two-run single.

Prior to the game, a hitting contest was held, in which Trenberth was the runner-up to Salisbury’s Chad Cooperman, finishing with 24 points to Cooperman’s 25. Cooperman was the only Salisbury player to take part in the hitting contest or in the game.

The annual game is in honor of the late Howard Deppe, who was a longtime baseball coach at Southern Lehigh High School and started the annual classic. Deppe passed away in 2000, but the family has continued his legacy and has raised over $100,000 for the American Cancer Society. This year’s event raised over $2,000.

“It really is a great event,” said Nate Pontician of Catasauqua, who played in the game. “It’s great to get to play with these guys that you’re always going up against and get to know them a little bit. It raises money for a great cause, so that’s nice, too.”