Muncy Delivers Winning Single for South, 6-3

Mike Muncy was on top again Saturday, but there’s no telling how long he will be there.

Muncy singled twice and drove in three runs to lead the South past the North, 6-3, in the Ventura County Baseball Coaches Assn. All-Star game at Moorpark College.

In three seasons as the shortstop at Camarillo High, Muncy has shown he can fall just as quickly as he can rise.

As a sophomore, Muncy hit .486 for Camarillo’s American Legion team. “It was like I was everything,” he said.

As a junior, he struggled to hit .200 for Camarillo’s varsity. “I just didn’t do anything,” he said.

But he hit .360 for Camarillo’s American Legion team last summer and signed an early letter of intent with Arizona State. Then he batted .384 for Camarillo High this past season and was drafted in the 10th round Monday by the New York Yankees. “I guess the word is ‘consistent’ for me,” Muncy said with a grin.

With Yankees’ representatives watching, Muncy hit a run-scoring single in the top of the ninth inning that broke a 3-3 tie. Muncy, named the game’s most valuable player, must choose between his scholarship and a professional contract package that is expected to include a bonus of about $30,000.

“Arizona State says I’m their guy, that if I sign (with the Yankees), the balls will be rolling into left field in Tempe,” Muncy said. “It just depends on the money (the Yankees) offer.”

Muncy entered the game in the fifth inning and hit a hard ground ball that scored Westlake’s Todd Preston, who had walked, stolen second and advanced to third on a passed ball. That run extended the South’s lead to 2-0. The team had taken a 1-0 lead in the first when Simi Valley’s Brian Vasey hit a sacrifice fly that scored Westlake’s Rob Neal, who led off with a triple.

The North cut its deficit to 2-1 in the fifth when Ventura’s Matt Garrett doubled and scored on a single by Santa Clara’s Paul Muro.

In the seventh, the South added a run when Preston reached on an error, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Muncy.

The North retaliated with a run in its half of the inning. Hueneme’s Jim Pettit was hit by a pitch and Hueneme teammates Jose Reyes (two for two) and Chris Baker both singled to load the bases with one out.

Buena’s Anthony Morales followed with a single that scored Pettit, but Reyes was thrown out at home by center fielder James Manzi of Simi Valley and Santa Clara’s Jon Chaparro struck out to end the inning.

In the eighth, the North tied the score, 3-3, when Channel Islands’ Jacob Cruz (two for three) doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Santa Clara’s Ron Tegland.

In the ninth, the South scored three runs. Royal’s Richard Naranjo led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Manzi and advanced to third when Garrett booted Preston’s grounder.

Thousand Oaks’ Ryan Kritscher walked to load the bases and Muncy followed with a single up the middle that gave the South a 4-3 lead. “Muncy came up with two clutch hits,” South Coach Mike Scyphers said.

Vasey followed with a fielder’s choice that scored Preston, extending the South’s lead to 5-3. Kritscher--who led county players with 38 stolen bases--stole home, the last of eight stolen bases for the South. “We wanted to be aggressive,” Scyphers said.

Vasey allowed three hits and one run in 2 1/3 innings of relief to earn the win.

Twenty players were selected from the two teams to represent Ventura County next Sunday in a game against an all-star team from West L.A. at 1 p.m. at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium.