MODESTO — On one of the biggest stages most had ever stepped foot on, high school baseball stars from across Stanislaus County put on performances to remember Saturday afternoon.

At the 33rd annual Modesto Sunrise Rotary All-Star Game at John Thurman Field, home of the Modesto Nuts, the Blue squad staged a thunderous comeback to down the Gold team by a 9-8 score. Delivering the game-winning blow in the eighth inning was Pitman High catcher Nathan Cervantes, who drove in a pair of runs on a two-out single to give the team an 8-7 lead.

It was his second hit in as many at-bats, as he tagged a pinch-hit RBI double in the seventh frame.

Cervantes’ heroics, which earned him Most Outstanding Player honors, was followed up with a six-out save by twin brother Noah, who gave up a run on two singles and a walk while punching out a pair.

Battery-mates throughout their lives, the Cervantes brothers cherished the opportunity.

“This feels pretty good because you never know if we can play together again on the field  at the same time, so it’s definitely a good memory to have,” Nathan said.

“It's just really nice to wear this hat one more time, getting to pitch with it, being able to represent where we came from as we go on in our journey to play junior college ball and then hopefully move on to a D-1 college and then later on to the professional level, like we are here,” added Noah, who expressed excitement regarding the game being moved from Stanislaus State to John Thurman Field for the first time since 2014.

Joining the siblings in representing the Pride was outfielder and pitcher Alberto Salazar, who reached on a strikeout and was the victim of a diving catch in foul territory by Denair’s Kaden Prine before tossing a scoreless seventh inning. 

“It’s rewarding to be here as a senior,” Salazar said. “Coming to Pitman, I really wanted to work hard this year and show people that I could play and contribute, so it’s a good feeling to know that people recognized that.”

Prine entered the game as a pitcher in the sixth inning with a 6-3 lead and promptly struck out the side in order. Transitioning to first base for the remainder of the game, he limited the Blue team’s damage to just Cervantes’ RBI double in the seventh by ending the frame with a sliding catch to his right.

“Happy to be back here,” said Prine, who was named an A;;-Star for the second straight year alongside catcher Lincoln Hart. “I'm glad to get one more game considering this was my senior year.”

Hart, who legged out a two-out infield single with the bases loaded to cut the Blue team’s lead to 9-8 in the ninth inning, shared similar sentiments, expressing excitement over playing in the same field that has been graced by several San Francisco Giants stars during their times as prospects.

“I do know that the Nuts are leaving, so it's a little sad to see because I came and watched many of these games. I watched (top prospect) Bryce Eldridge here, (Buster) Posey played here. So to be here in a professional field after all those years is very cool,” Hart said.

Prine’s appearance came a half-inning after Hughson’s Beau Blake pushed the Gold lead to 6-3 with a towering solo home-run roughly 320 feet down the left field line that landed atop the visitor’s clubhouse. It was his second RBI of the game after he grounded into a bases-loaded double play in the second inning to knot things at 2-2.

“Yeah, right away I knew it was out,” Blake said of his big fly. “I grew up coming here, so it’s a big honor to play here.

“Brandon Crawford was my favorite player, growing up being a Giants fan and I played for the same travel organization as he did (NorCal Baseball), and he played here, so it’s awesome to take this field.”

Teammate Carlos Guizar mentioned Giants star Pablo Sandoval as a player he looked up to who made a pit stop in Modesto as a prospect with visiting San Jose. “I’ve always loved him so much. He's a bigger guy like me too, so to see him playing, I’d be like, ‘Dang, I'm trying to be like that too.’ It’s special, man.”

After the game, Guizar was honored with the Academic Achievement Award and was given the inaugural $1,000 Carl Tognolini Academic College Scholarship for his 4.23 GPA. This year’s game was the first in which Tognolini did not chair. The 79-year-old former Sunrise Rotary president who founded the event in 1990 and was on hand Saturday to throw out the first pitch alongside family and friends.

Guizar drove in the Gold team’s first run with an RBI single in the second inning. In the third inning, he reached on an error that brought in a whole pack of Bulldogs.

Andrew Sevilla led off the frame with a single, with Josh Ramirez reaching base after being hit in the head with a breaking ball. Ramirez was pinch-ran for by junior teammate Cooper Pacheco, and both he and Sevilla scored on the error to put the Gold team up 4-2. In the fourth inning, Sevilla and Jaron Rocha led off with walks, with Rocha scoring on an RBI single by Ramirez.

“It’s super exciting to play in this game. It means a lot to be picked for this game and to be me with my brothers one more time,” Sevilla said. 

“This means a lot to me because I get to play with other guys that had great seasons around this area, and to be one of them is an honor,” Rocha added. “I get to play with my teammates one last time and just experience playing here.”

Rocha, who reached base three times, also reminisced on attending games at John Thurman Field over the years, particularly in 2019 when he watched Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto rehab against a Nuts lineup that featured current Mariners stars Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh.

Ramirez, who earned a strikeout in his lone inning on the mound in the fourth, was excited to learn of players like Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Jose Cansceo and Mark McGwire playing in Modesto as prospects for his favorite team, the Athletics.

“Really excited to play here and represent Turlock High and play with my teammates, along with all the other great athletes around the area,” said Ramirez. “It’s so cool playing here.”

Pacheco was one of just six juniors to be invited to the game and, like most players, raved over the history of the ballpark. “A lot of good names have come through here with the Modesto Nuts, so it’s fun to be able to experience this out here with my teammates.”

Earning the nod as starting pitcher for the Gold team was Hughson ace Max Mankins, who pitched a scoreless first inning.

“It really is great to be recognized as one of the top players in the county and to just be a part of what was a really fun game,” Mankins said. “High-scoring, lots of energy, it had everything. It was really an honor to be able to compete.”