Fantasy became reality for about two dozen of the area's biggest kids Saturday afternoon at Hancock College's John Osborne Baseball Field.

In all, 26 grown-up players took the field for the inaugural Santa Maria Valley Packers Fantasy Camp baseball game - capping off the two-day fantasy baseball weekend with a seven-inning game.

The record will show that Bruce Porter's Mustangs posted a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over Bob Stowasser's Team HGH.

And while players from both teams admitted they played to win, playing in the game was more important to all of them than the outcome.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Jim Roland, who played for Porter's Mustangs. “Once you get out on the field, you're a little kid again. You get the jitters at first. You're hoping the ball is hit to you, then you're hoping it isn't. It's just fun coming out here and rolling around in the dirt.”

Roland came all the way from Seattle to play in the game. His son, James, plays for the Packers.

“My wife and I came down to see James play about a month ago,” said Roland. “That's when we first heard about the Fantasy Camp. So I signed right up. James was one of the umpires today - he was out at first base. He was giving me hitting advice during my first at bat but I didn't listen.”

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Brodie McCormack and Danny Reyes are also Packers' players who umpired in the field. When the game began, former Major League pitcher Bryn Smith was calling balls and strikes. He was replaced by a real umpire, Mike Ostini, in the fourth inning.

“I just want to toss someone,” Smith said before the game. He got his chance in the third inning when he threw Wildcats manager Porter out of the game for allowing one of his players to use an illegal bat. The illegal bat, by the way, stayed in the game - so did Porter who ignored Smith's ruling.

The teams used seven pitchers - four for the Wildcats and three for Team HGH.

Lefty Max Faulkner, throwing almost all knuckleballs, started for Porter's Wildcats. He was followed by Terry Newby, Bryn Smith - who almost took the loss, giving up three runs to give Team HGH a late 8-5 lead - and Chad Godsil, who picked up the win.

Steve Reyburn started for Stowasser's Team HGH. He was followed by Rick Fridrich and Jim Allen, who let Smith off the hook by allowing four runs in the seventh inning for the loss.

“Everyone had a lot of fun at the practice and in the game,” said Smith. “Everyone wanted to play well. Once the game began, the competitive juices began to flow and the players really tried to win.”

The Mustangs broke on top early, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning.

Fernando Holguin led off with a walk.

Retired Lompoc Record sports writer John McReynolds next made a run-saving catch of Faulkner's fly to deep center field, then - after Lompoc's Chad Godsil popped out - Newby and John Freitas each had run-scoring singles before Colt 97.1 FM SportsTalk host Rick Blaemire grounded out to short.

Blaemire celebrated his birthday on the diamond. He wouldn't admit his age, saying only that it was “a lot” of birthdays.

“It will be a nice birthday present if the team wins,” Blaemire said.

Team HGH came right back in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs to tie the game up. Fridrich led off with a walk, Buck Sharp singled Fridrich home and Eric Freitas knocked in Sharp.

Blaemire, of all people, made a nice catch of a stinging Reyburn grounder to end the threat.

The Mustangs went back on top, 3-2, in the top of the second after a Brian Allison single. He went to second after a bad pickoff attempt and came home on Faulkner's single to center.

Leon Lopez singled to begin the bottom of the second. He went to second on a passed ball, moved to third on Charlie Castillo's infield out and scored on Brett Hamner's sacrifice fly to right to even the score at 3-3 after two.

The Mustangs went back on top in the third inning.

Newby opened with a single and came around to score on Jon Freitas' single. Freitas later scored on Roland's grounder to second. Roland was also assessed a two-stroke penalty during his at bat by umpire Smith for double-hitting a foul ball.

Back came Team HGH which scored two of its own in the bottom on the third to tie the game back up at 5-5.

Sharp led off with a walk and came around to score on Eric Freitas's single.

Smith called Sharp out for failing to touch third base on his way to score. Smith then overruled himself and allowed the run.

Reyburn legged out an infield hit on a soft shot to third, moving Freitas to third. Freitas then scored on Matt Hoffman's single up the middle.

Things quieted down until the bottom of the fifth inning when Team HGH scored three times to go up 8-5.

Smith, the 13-year major league veteran (Expos, Cardinals and Rockies), walked Eric Freitas to open the inning.

He then hit Reyburn - who was wearing a bullseye for his uniform number - with a pitch. Reyburn charged the mound and the game was delayed while the two golfing buddies staged a wrestling demonstration for the crowd (Reyburn, Smith, Alan Johnson - who had to work Saturday at the NHRA-Schuck's Auto Supply Nationals with his Tony Schumacher team in Kent, Wash. - and Bill Ostini can regularly be found together as a favored foursome in most of our local charity golf tournaments.)

Hoffman, Leon Lopez and Johnny Castillo then had run-scoring singles to put Stowasser's squad on top for the first time in the game.

At that point, Smith was on the hook for the loss.

But his teammates bailed him out in the top of the seventh.

Godsil - who came on to pitch in the sixth inning - led things off with a double to deep left field.

He moved to third on Scott Nickason's single over second base.

Godsil scored on John Freitas' single over second base.

Stan Otremba then blasted a ground ball that went approximately 18-inches - that's inches - in front of home plate. He beat the throw to first, loading the bases.

Nickason scored on Smith's ground out to third.

Then Freitas and Otremba scored on Roland's single to deep center field, putting the Mustangs' up 9-8.

“I was glad I could help the team,” said Roland. “I'll be back to play again next year for sure.”

“Roland is a good player,” said Porter. “He hits well. He fields well even if he is a little slow.”

Godsil gave up a single to Brett Newby in the bottom of the seventh but otherwise closed the door on Team HGH's comeback bid to lock up with win for Porter's squad.

“It was a very exciting game,” said Porter who, when he is not managing a fantasy baseball team, is the owner of Iverson Motors. “I'm very proud of my players and I'm ready to do it again next year. It was a lot of fun.”

“It definitely was a lot of fun,” said Stowasser, when he is not managing a fantasy baseball team, is the owner of Stowasser Pontiac, Buick, GMC. “It was great to see some old friends, meet new people. I hope we do it again next year. Everyone I talked to wants to do it again.”

“This is one of those things that you have to do again,” said Holguin. “We were part of the very first Packers Fantasy Camp. We have to come back again next year.”

“Overall, it was a good game,” said Smith. “There were some great plays, there were some crazy plays. Everyone had a blast. The whole camp was a lot of fun.”

July 20, 2008