Juan Ceja is an A student who went with Plan B Sunday night to drive in the winning run at Surprise Stadium as the West beat the East 8-7 in the Arizona Baseball Coaches Association Academic All-Star Game.

With one out and a runner on third in bottom of the ninth, Ceja, who had a 3.95 GPA at Raymond Kellis High School, attempted to bunt for a safety squeeze to break a 7-7 tie. After missing with two tries, third base coach Jim Shields from Verrado High School elected to switch tactics and let Ceja hit away. Ceja ripped a hot through the right side of the drawn-in infield to win the game.

It was a climax to a back-and fourth-game in which the West got out to an early lead and had to rally for the runs in the ninth to win it.

“It was all them and not me,” Dysart coach John Hemsley said after his win completed its comeback. “Give credit to coach Shields. He’s the reason we got eight runs tonight.”

West starting pitcher Sam Theis (Moon Valley) was voted the game’s Most Valuable Player. He had a double and a single and  pitched three strong innings, giving up just one run.

“He could have gone longer, but we wanted to give some other boys a chance to pitch,’’ Hemsley said.

The West jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Theis had a double. Kyle Pollay drove in a run with a bases loaded walk. Justin Bergamn had a three-run double, and Ceja plated a run with a groundout.

The East chipped away and took the lead when Connor Jones blasted one over the wall in right-center for three runs to make it 7-5.

The West trailed 7-6 going into its last at-bat. John Elliot’s groundout scored Pollay to tie it and moved Bergman to third. Ceja came through with the key hit to win it.