West All-Stars show the East who's king of the diamond
By Steve Ames Special to the Thousand Oaks Acorn

Student athletes once again gathered for a Sunday afternoon of relaxed baseball as players, many of whom have been foes for four years, teamed with one another from high schools west of the Conejo Grade to beat a contingent of players from high schools east of the grade, 8-3.

Manuel Herrera, head coach of the Santa Paula Cardinals, was coach of the victorious West team in the Ventura County Baseball Coaches Association's Jim Parker All-Star Baseball Game at Moorpark College.

"We hit the ball today and our pitchers came through and did a great job," Herrera said. "We did a great job all the way around. It was a fun day today."

No pep talks, Herrera added. "We came ready to play."

Malibu Sharks head coach Paul Gallo coached the East team.

"It's just a great honor to coach all these kids who are moving on to play in college baseball," he said. "I come from a small Frontier League, but I get to coach Marmonte kids and the others. It was just a fun day."

Josh Baker, a 5-foot-11, 170pound outfielder from the Newbury Park Panthers who's bound for Cal State Northridge, was the pregame base running winner, dashing from home to home in 14.6 seconds.

"I know I've got speed and I know there's a lot of other guys who've got speed," Baker said.

"A couple of guys got tripped up around third. That was my first time being timed. I just came out here and ran," he said. "We do conditioning things. We have a

circuit, so we run to first, then we do doubles, triples, home runs. That probably helped me out a little bit, just having the feel of it."

Jose Vargas, a 6-foot-2, 180pound shortstop/pitcher from the Ventura Cougars who will attend Ventura College, hit five balls over the fence to win the home run contest.

"I was expecting to hit more," Vargas said. 'Keep your swing.' 'Don't try to over swing,'" Vargas told himself.

He added that it was a pleasure to "just be playing around all these good baseball players."

The teams pounded out nine hits apiece, but not only did the West post more runs in the scoring column, but the East had the dubious lead in errors, 5-2, with a pair coming in the first inning as the West got off to a 1-0 lead. After St. Bonaventure Ser

aphs' shortstop Bryant Hernandez went down on strikes thrown by East starter, Brian Priestly of the Royal Highlanders, Camarillo Scorpions left fielder Abe Candelaria reached first base on an hit to shortstop, stole second base and went on to third on another error.

Vargas walked and the Pacifica Tritons' Ryan Hotchkiss hit to shortstop to score the West's first run.

The West added two more runs in the third inning on backto-back walks to Hernandez and Candelaria. Hernandez stole second and third base. Hernandez scored as Vargas hit a sacrifice fly to right field. Candelaria scored on a passed ball.

The East team was unable to score until the fourth inning.

Moorpark Musketeers' shortstop Ryne Intlekofer doubled down the right field line off Rio Mesa Spartans pitcher Jake Regalado.

Fillmore Flashes first baseman Daniel Jimenez followed with a hit down the right-field line to score Intlekofer to reduce the West's lead to 3-1.

In the fifth inning, the West got on the scoreboard again as Rio Mesa catcher Keith Garcia walked, Kevin Dann, a St. Bonaventure third baseman, hit the ball to center field to send Garcia to second. Garcia scored on Pacifica shortstop David Escobar single to right field.

During its fifth inning the East tried to take a lead, but fell a run short. Agoura Chargers' infielder Ben Yarin hit the ball through second base to center field, stole second base, and after Calabasas Coyote center fielder Eric Ammon struck out, Newbury Park shortstop Brett Fick singled to left field and Yarin came home when the ball sailed over the catcher's head.

The West led, 4-2, and increased its lead with a run in the seventh, eighth and two in the ninth inning.

The East added its third run in the eighth inning when Malibu first baseman Brooks Fitch and Baker walked and, with two outs, Thousand Oaks Lancers infielder Michael Ricatto doubled to left to score Fitch.

Daniel Abeloe of St. Bonaventure pitched the first three of the nine-inning game without allowing a run and was credited with the victory. Escobar was 2-for-2 with two RBI and Yarin was also 2for-2.

"Managing, it's tough," Herrera said. "It really is just trying to get everybody in. It was fun. It was worth it. At first I was nervous, but all my coaches, they helped me out. It all went well after that."

For Gallo it was the same challenge.

"I got everybody two at-bats and four innings on the field," Gallo said. "That was the biggest pain of the day, just trying to get everybody in and get their at bats.

"It was a lot of fun. I don't get to see them a lot," he said. "We're playing on the same day so I don't to see a lot of these teams play. To see them play in the field is lot of fun both sides."