L.A. CITY-ORANGE COUNTY ALL-STAR BASEBALL GAME : El Toro’s Sauritch Blasts First-Inning Homer, Paces Win

The Orange County all-stars scored five runs in the first inning against Danny Choi and the Los Angeles City all-stars on their way to a 9-3 victory Thursday night in the second annual Los Angeles-Orange County All-Star Classic at UC Irvine.

Chris Sauritch, who was named the Orange County all-stars’ most valuable player, started the rally leading off the bottom of the first inning with a home run to right-center field.

Sauritch, from El Toro High School, said that his home run may have shocked Choi, the starting pitcher for Los Angeles, into giving up the next four runs. “It affected him big-time,” Sauritch said. “He started throwing a lot of junk after that. It seemed like his out pitch was a curveball, but he kept getting behind and having to throw fastballs.”

Los Angeles Coach Nick Van Lue didn’t believe that Choi, of Fairfax High, was affected by the homer but was affected by other factors, including a catcher, Emilio Marquez of Franklin, who he wasn’t used to working with. Van Lue did agree, however with part of Sauritch’s analysis: “He tried to throw the fastball a little too much and those guys are fastball hitters.”

After giving up the homer to Sauritch, Choi walked Perez, who stole second. Bo Haley of El Toro came up next to score Perez with a single to left field.

Anthony Napolitano of Los Alamitos followed with another single to set up a two-run double by Scott Sebbo of El Toro. Sebbo’s liner to the left-field wall made the score 5-2 before Choi was able to get out of the inning.

Choi, who was relieved in the sixth inning by Derrick Flax of Washington, didn’t give up another run.

Los Angeles had drawn first blood in the top of the first with a two-run double by Eli Pardo of Wilmington Banning. Pardo, who went two for two, was named the Los Angeles all-stars’ Most Valuable Player.

Pardo’s double drove in Harlan Snyder of Fairfax, who had singled, and Ricky Parra of Garfield, who had walked.

Orange County scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth when Aaron Shied of Laguna Beach singled in Marco Perez of Santiago, who had walked and stolen second. Shield scored on a double steal.

Orange County made it 9-5 in the bottom of the sixth when Ryan Relph of Tustin scored on a single by Ed Crippen of Servite and Brandon Farley of Katella scored on an error.