Wednesday night, however, had a somewhat different feel to it.

In fact, Kaltenbach, who was coaching in the final game of his long and prosperous career, found himself at the helm of the Division II West team which faced off against the Division II East squad featuring some of the area’s top seniors on the baseball diamond in the first matchup of the 2017 Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties Senior All-Star Classic at Diethrick Park.

“It’s great,” Kaltenbach stressed when asked about the opportunity for area high school seniors to showcase their talents one final time before they move on to college or other endeavors. “It’s good for these kids to play with no pressure. … We’re (one of) the smallest leagues around and I thought these seniors showed great for the size schools we have. We have great baseball down in (this) league and I think parts of it showed today.”

When all was said and done, the Division II West and East teams put forth an entertaining show for the spectators in attendance, ending the game in a 2-2 tie after seven full innings of play.

Westfield’s Max Bates is all smiles as he returns to the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of the Division 2 game. P-J photos by Matt Spielman

Westfield’s Max Bates was named the Most Valuable Player for the West squad after he launched a solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the fourth inning and also saw action on the mound, putting a bow on his spectacular high school career with the Wolverines.

“This was awesome,” Bates emphasized. “Just knowing you’ve got a bunch of other guys who are all-stars from their team and playing with them … it really just brings everything all together. It’s just a fun experience.”

North Collins’ Dylan Winter was recognized as the MVP for the East team following a solid day at the plate, including a double and a go-ahead RBI infield single in the top of the sixth.

Seeing action on the mound for the West team were Eric Fermier (Westfield), Brandon Chamberlin (Cassadaga Valley), Johnethen Spicer (Brocton), Chris Robson (Sherman) and Bates (Westfield).

Pitching in the tie for the East team were Dooley Brennan (Franklinville), Cordell O’Brien (Frewsburg), Chad Boldt (Ellicottville) and Caleb Caldwell (Frewsburg).

Brocton’s Garrett McFadden slides safely into third base as Westfield coach Doug Kaltenbach looks on. North Collins third baseman Dylan Winter awaits a throw from the outfield. P-J photos by Matt Spielman

Essentially, no matter what the final result on the scoreboard indicated, it was a tremendous experience for everyone involved, including Kaltenbach, who saw the All-Star Classic as a fitting end to his time as a high school coach.

“I’ve done this three or four times but it means something more to me this year because it is my last game,” Kaltenbach said. “It’s great. It’s a good way to end it. And it was good to end it in a tie. That’s they way it should end.”

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The nightcap featured the Division I East team putting on an offensive display, behind the work of MVP Matt Kruszka, en route to an eventual 12-2 win.

Kruszka’s offensive highlights included a booming RBI triple in the top of the first inning and an RBI double in the top of the fifth.

Silver Creek’s Zak Bogosian makes a force out as Olean’s Garrett Boldt slides into second base during the Division 1 game Wednesday night at Diethrick Park. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

“I knew this was going to be one of my last times playing at (Diethrick Park) and I just tried to make the best of it,” Kruszka explained. “I was seeing the ball really well. The night games are where I usually dial in and see the ball a lot better than I would during a day game. … I knew a lot of these guys before this. They’re all really good kids, I like them a lot. We got along when we were playing (against) each other. Just to come together as a team and play as one, it was a lot of fun.”

Kruszka, Jake Beaver (Randolph), Nick Stein (Portville), Ryan Schlosser (Allegany-Limestone) and Garrett Boldt (Olean) all pitched well in the victory for the Division I East team.

Trevor Micek (Maple Grove) came through with an RBI double in defeat for the Division I West squad while Jamestown’s Andrew Sisson laced an RBI single as well. Fredonia’s Drew Coniglio, whose night included a double, was named the MVP.

“Getting everybody together from different teams and showing what you’re made of is a really good opportunity,” Coniglio said. “It’s nice to play with these kids since we’ve been growing up with them our whole lives. … It’s good to grow up and see how much you’ve changed over the years.”

Chris Williams (Silver Creek), Bryan Gardner (Falconer), Niko Pannes (Southwestern) and Dalton DuBois (Maple Grove) saw time on the hill for the Division I West team.