The battle between the top high school baseball seniors in Michigan came down to the final out.
The West All-Stars held on to beat the East All-Stars in the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association (MHSBCA) All-star game on Friday, June 20, at Comerica Park in Detroit. The West All-Stars took a two-run lead with three runs scored in the sixth inning, and kept the East All-Stars at bay despite them loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning, putting the game-winning run on first base.
“It’s awesome,” said Fruitport’s Ryan Bosch, who started at pitcher for the West All-Stars and also drove in two runs in the sixth inning. “It’s a bunch of guys I don’t necessarily get to see during the year come head to head and play the game we all love. It’s always a good time.”
Sterling Heights Stevenson’s Jake Leonard, who was named team MVP for the East, got the scoring started with a single in the first at-bat of the game, stole two bases and scored on a fielder’s choice from Grosse Pointe South’s Andrew DiLodovico. Hudsonville’s Kaden Howard tied the game after scoring on an error from the East catcher trying to pick a runner off at second base in the second inning.
Plymouth’s Tommy Rose briefly gave East the lead again with an RBI single, but the West struck for three runs in the sixth to seize control. After loading the bases, West team MVP Kellen Payne, from Byron Center, hit an RBI single followed by an RBI single from Bosch, which scored two runners after a throwing error.
The All-Star game served as a final memory of the high school baseball careers for the seniors playing at Comerica Park before they begin their respective college careers in a few months.
“I’ve been able to compete against these guys for a while so it’s fun to give it one last hurrah,” Payne said.
Grand Blanc’s Trey Williams drove in another run for West at the top of the ninth, offsetting two runs scored by East at the bottom of the frame. After the final out was recorded, the West All-Stars poured out of the first-base dugout and dumped water on each other, celebrating like it was a World Series win.
“It’s not every day you get to play at a major league stadium,” Payne said. “Especially when it gets dark and the lights come on. It’s sweet.”
The game also served as a final chance for teammates to share the field for a competitive game. Macomb Dakota’s battery, pitcher Luke DeMasse and catcher Evan Kavalick, started the game on the mound and behind the plate for the final time as teammates.
“It was a cool way to cap off a high school career and getting to do it with my best friend, Luke DeMasse,” Kavalick said.
“It’s fun being able to play where an MLB team plays,” DeMasse said. “Especially being the starting pitcher. The whole experience, even though it was one inning, was great. And I was with my catcher Evan so it was definitely a fun experience with some really good players.”
MHSBCA All-Star game participants
East All-Stars
West All-Stars
Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: High school baseball All-Star game a ‘cool way’ to end career for top departing seniors
Reporting by Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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