CORRECTED-Mike Montez slides off into (Florida) sunset with 'The Catch'

    By Bill Tarrant

(CORRECTS- winning team color in first paragraph)

     Mike Montez raced deep into left-field foul territory from his third-base position to make an incredible over-the-shoulder sliding catch in the final inning, preserving an 11-9 Orange team victory over  Blue on Thursday in the season-ending premier All-Star Game of the Los Angeles Senior Softball League.

     “He made the play of the game. It was so beautiful,” said Orange team manager Carlos Arias.     

     Montez is a jovial and popular player in Valley softball, whose prodigious softball abilities are exceeded only by his self-regard of them. He could hardly disagree with Carlos.

     “It was one of the weirdest catches I’ve ever made. It was an interesting catch because it was all done backwards. I slid forward and the ball dropped over my head and into my glove,” Montez told me. “It landed perfectly.”

     Montez, who also had a single and two doubles in the back-and- forth contest, ended his epic senior softball career in the Valley with a bang. Next month, the realtor plans to move to Florida with his wife to be closer to her family.

     Arias credited pitcher Anita Haisten for limiting the damage from the Orange team’s impressive lineup.      

     “Anita threw two balls the entire game. She got the game ball.”

     Arias also gave shout-outs to Richard Steinmetz for strong play at rover, and Bruce Loria, Tom Griego and Joe Micelli  for timely hits.

     The Blue team had its own highlight plays: Phil Gurney throwing the speedy Micelli out at home from centerfield, Mark Lambert hitting a ball just short of the left-field fence for a long triple with his characteristic tomahawk swing.

     “I’ve never hit a ball that far before,” Lambert said.

     Said Arias, about managing an All-Star team for the first time and getting the win: “For me it’s the best gift.”

     Blue beats Orange 13-6 in second All Star game, too

     It was far more mundane in the second All-Star game, featuring the next rung of players in the 16-team league.

     The Blue team scored four runs in the second inning and never looked back as they flashed the leather while taking advantage of Orange’s fielding errors and knuckleheaded baserunning, winning 13-6.

     “We scored almost every inning, and we had great defense,” Blue team manager Annie Goto told me. “We shut down their big hitters. “

     The decisive point in the game came after an Orange team batter struck out with the bases loaded in the sixth inning for the second out. That was followed by a screaming line drive that Annie raced in from center to snare for the play of this game.

     Steve Ceniceros made three excellent catches in right-center and belted four hits to pace the Blue team. 

     Raul Aguilar was a bright spot for Orange with excellent defense at second base and a 3 for 4 log at the plate.

   "There were key errors and inconsistent hitting. We just couldn't sustain a rally," Raul said. "

     Annie Goto, also managing an All Star team for the first time, was stoked. “We were all excited with this anxious energy that can elevate your game.”          

     She does have plenty of managing experience in her day job, running the KPL Select property management company along with her wife.