Academic scholarships, big plays and bragging rights were all up for grabs on Saturday at the fourth annual Tyler Skaggs Foundation All-Star baseball game.
Eight local stars took the field one last time as high schoolers in the all-star game that welcomes the top players in Southern California at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Red Team took home the win, after beating the Blue Team, 7-4, with Santa Clarita players leaving their mark all over the victory.
West Ranch’s Jackson Banuelos got the start for the Reds and led the way in the team allowing no runs in six of the seven innings of play.
The Wildcat pitcher allowed one base runner before fanning his final opponent.
Saugus’ Dominick Zambrano added a big hit later in the game as well as some solid defense in the outfield. The former Centurion’s big single in the fifth helped the Reds build on their lead before Valencia’s Chad Stanchfield earned the save and secured the Red team’s win.
One of the pitcher’s final opponents was someone who knows his pitches better than anyone, Valencia catcher Aiden Voyles. The two were delighted to battle against each other one last time.
“After striking out the first batter in the inning, I saw (Voyles) walk to the plate and I smiled at him,” Stanchfield said. “I pitched him all fastballs low and outside. After that strikeout, I felt a sense of confidence for getting him out knowing how great of a competitor he is.”
Stanchfield rang up the Westmont commit in Voyles and finished his one-inning save with three punch-outs.
The Blue team’s bats were quiet until the bottom of the sixth, when the team finally started stringing together some base runners. Golden Valley’s Jack Steidl was walked and eventually came in to score on a wild pitch.
Wiseburn Da Vinci High School’s Maddox Wiltshire blasted the first big hit for the Blues in the sixth to score two runs. Wiltshire had a great day at the plate, earning the first baseman MVP honors on the day.
The game had plenty of star power from its players to coaches. Four-time Gold Glover and Skaggs’ former teammate Andrelton Simmons threw out the first pitch. Former National League MVP Ryan Braun and three-time MLB All-Star Mike Moustakas coached the Red Team to victory over the Blues, who were coached by World Series champion Tim Leary and former American League All-Star Jason Vargas.
“It’s been so long since I played, obviously, high school baseball, but these kids are good, man,” Moustakas said. “They’re getting bigger, stronger, faster and it’s a pretty cool thing to watch these kids play.”
The coaches offered up all their advice while still focusing on the game and celebrating with the players after each big play.
“Getting dapped up and complimented on my hit by Mike Moustakas and Ryan Braun definitely has to be a top three moment in my career,” Zambrano said. “It meant a lot to hear positive thoughts from some of the game’s greats.”
Tickets and fundraising from the all-star game went either back to the players or to the foundation’s charity work.
Banuelos, a CSUN commit, was one of several players to earn an academic scholarship on Saturday. The foundation has financially contributed to numerous youth athletes and strives to make education and athletics available to all in the late Los Angeles Angels pitcher’s honor.
“Our mission is to provide equitable access to sports programs and recreation, as well as other community initiatives that will help young people build both athletic and essential life skills,” reads the foundation’s mission statement. “By contributing financial support through grants and scholarships, supplying athletic equipment, and raising awareness, our goal is to empower our younger generation through the gift of sports.”
For Moustakas, accepting the opportunity to coach the all-star game was an easy one for multiple reasons.
“A very easy decision,” Moustakas said on coaching Saturday’s game. “I knew Tyler and I got to play against him, worked out with him a little bit. Like everybody said in these videos, he’s just such a great competitor and even a better person. To be able to come out here and support this foundation and his family, it’s an unbelievable experience for me and it’s something I look forward to doing again in the future.”
All of the all-stars are college-bound. The majority of them are committed with a handful of standouts still looking for a home for the next two to four seasons.
Zambrano, a .328 batter for Saugus, was unsure about continuing his playing career but may have gotten an unforeseen boost from the all-star game.
“I am undecided if I want to continue my playing career as I have chosen engineering as my major,” Zambrano said. “But I definitely feel after this game that I could compete at the next level.”
Stanchfield will be one of a few local talents who will continue their careers at College of the Canyons next season.
“I’m going to play at my community college, College of the Canyons,” Stanchfield said. “My goal is to play here for two years and then transfer to a four-year university. This game was my first time back on the field since our season ended in May, so it was a huge confidence booster especially when I go to play in my next game I have. College baseball will be a big step from high school, but I am ready to take on that challenge and work hard to succeed.”
