If it was pitching you wanted to see Saturday night at the San Gabriel Valley-Moore League All-Star game at Paramount High, you went home happy. Both teams tallied just two hits apiece, while several pitchers shined, but in the end, the SGVL defeated the Moore League, 4-3, in the bottom of the 10th inning when Gahr High’s Broderick Vanwjngaerde scored on a wild pitch from Poly’s Kevin Nanbara.
Nanbara walked Vanwjngaerde to start the bottom of the 10th inning, and after a catcher’s interference call, Vanwjngaerde stole second, advanced to third and then scored on consecutive wild pitches.
The SGV took the lead early when Downey’s Ivory Thomas was hit by a J. T. Mazalewski (Wilson) pitch and stole second and third base.
After Downey’s Chris Munoz walked and stole second, Michael Mazzara (Downey) grounded out to score Thomas and Munoz moved over to third base.
One pitch later, Munoz stole home on Mazalewski, and the SGV led 2-0 after one inning.
Warren’s Mason Shelton tripled in the bottom of the second off Mazalewski and then scored on a ground out off the bat of Thomas for a 3-0 lead.
Paramount’s Eddie Magallon went the first three innings for the SGV on his home field and was solid. Magallon, who led the entire area with 90 strikeouts, struck out two and didn’t allow a run.
Poly’s Mario Gordon got the Moore League close when he singled off Downey’s Jesse Silva to score Kevin Nanbara and Marcos Lara (Jordan) who had both walked in the top of the fourth inning.
Lakewood’s Matt Duffy had a clutch bloop single to right off Munoz in the top of the eighth to score Millikan’s Emmy Antonaras, who was pinch running for Jordan’s Pedro Torres.
Its not often you see a catcher pinch run, but the move paid off when Antonaras’ hook slide made it possible to score despite the throw beating him to the plate, and tied the game at 3-3.
Marcos Lara was the most impressive on the mound, going two innings and blowing away five SGV batters en route to being named the Moore League’s MVP.
Munoz went the final three innings of the game for the SGV, struck out four and scored a run to claim the SGV’s MVP.
Jonathan Worrell (Lakewood) retired each of the six batters he faced and Mario Gordon (four strikeouts) was dominant on the mound for the Moore League and went two innings apiece.
Noah Barrick (Poly) pitched the seventh inning for the Moore League.
“I thought it was a pretty well played game by both sides and I wanted to make sure that the kids that battled each other all year (in the Moore League) realized they were all special kids,” Millikan and Moore League manager Scott Glasser said. “I thought Marcos Lara was fantastic and Jonathan Worrell pitched really well for our side, and Eddie Magallon was very solid for the San Gabriel Valley League tonight.”
Glasser gave credit to assistant coach Marc Prager (Jordan) for pinch-running Emmy Antonaras for Pedro Torres that ended up paying off with a clutch slide to tie the game.
Said Glasser: “That was Prager’s call. He pinch ran my guy for his guy and I was wondering what the heck he was thinking, but I guess he knew.”
The catching towards the end of the game was a little shaky and as a result there were several stolen bases and passed balls/wild pitches, but for the most part, the game was played at a very high level.