FRESNO — Even with the help of six Madera-area baseball players couldn’t hold off the City in the 59th annual City/County All-Star Baseball game held at Chukchansi Park.
Three Madera Coyotes — Eric Nelson, Davion Pino and Zach Sanchez — along with Liberty’s Nicola Cercone and Anthony Gaitan and Matilda Torres’ Alonzo Del Toro closed out their high school careers at Sunday’s game.
A seven-run third and a six-run eight helped propel the City to a 14-5 victory over the County. It marked the ninth straight victory for the City.
Pino got Madera’s lone hit with an infield single, and later scored a run. Cercone drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. And, Nelson started in right field.
The City scored 13 of its 14 runs in the third and eighth innings. The City scored seven runs on five hits with three walks and a hit batter. The County didn’t help with three errors.
The City also scored six runs in the eighth on three hits, an error and three walks. Two more errors and two hits drove in a run in the fourth.
However, for the Madera All-Stars, it was the experience of playing with and against some of the best baseball players in the Central Valley that was the hit.
“It was surreal,” Sanchez said. “Seeing a big stadium and being there with two other teammates was just an amazing experience. I grew up with them and this will be our last game. I just balled out. I couldn’t be more grateful to play this game. I tried to play loose and have a good time.”
“It’s fun,” Cercone said. “I get to play on a Major League-sized field. I get to play on a beautiful diamond and it’s just fun to compete against the best. I come from a smaller town and compete against the TRAC and CMAC schools. It’s fun to compete and play the game I love. Anything I can do with baseball, I am going to have fun.”
“I made some new friends,” Del Toro said. “It felt really good tonight. Playing with the best, these guys are awesome dogs out here. I was very pleased. These pitchers up the velocity. They bring the heat. I enjoyed every second of it.”
Chowchilla’s Dillon Watkins suffered the loss on the mound. He allowed the first five batters he faced in the third reached. Two errors helped allow two more runs to score. He left with a runner on first.
Gaitan came in relief, and allowed an RBI double past a drawn-in infield. He got a sacrifice fly, but lost the plate. He hit a batter, and walked one before he struck out a batter. He walked two more before he was lifted. A ground out ended the inning, but the City led, 7-0.
The County battled back in the fourth. With one out, Dallas Neal (Lemoore) singled to center. Pino reached on an infield single to short. A passed ball moved the runners 90 feet.
Cole Roth (Washington Union) grounded back to the pitcher, and Neal got caught in a rundown, but beat the throw back to third to load the bases. Joseph Elenes (Caruthers) drew a walk to force in Neal. Then, a wild pitch scored Pino and a passed ball scored Roth. Zakary Gonzalez (Washington Union) singled to right to drive in Elenes to cut the lead to three with one out. Chris Garcia (Lemoore) was hit by a pitch to put two on, but a fly out and a ground out ended the inning.
City scored an unearned run in the fourth with a catcher’s interference, a double and an error to open an 8-4 lead.
Nelson came in the fifth, and struck out the first batter he faced. He got a ground out to teammate Pino for the second out. He walked the next two batters before getting his second strikeout to end his stint.
The County scored a run in the seventh on a walk, and a double. Cercone lined out to right to drive in the run.
City put the game away in the eighth when they drew three straight walks to open the inning. A single drove in two before a change in pitchers. A triple, fielder’s choice, and sacrifice fly drove in two more runs.
City/County Baseball All-Stars
Eric Nelson, Mad — Start in RF, 0-2; 1 IP, 2 K, 2 BB
Zach Sanchez, Mad — 0-2
Davion Pino, Mad — 1-2, run
Alonzo Del Toro, MT — 0-1
Nicola Cercone, Lib — 0-1, RBI
Anthony Gaitan, Lib — 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 3 BB, 1 HP