Michael Ajayi was the only player on either squad not to don his school’s official jersey Monday at the 55th annual Southern Colorado High School All-Star senior baseball game at Security Service Field.

And as a result, he was the only player to wear a number – 1.-4 – that wasn’t actually a number.

The Colorado Springs Christian School senior also showed up late and lost his starting assignment in center field.

He didn’t complain. Not for the final game of his high school career.

Instead, he took advantage of his spot as a reserve, recording by far the game’s hardest-hit ball for a double off the base of the wall in left-center field to break a 2-all tie in the sixth inning as the 5A/3A team downed the 4A all-stars, 7-3.

“We turned in our jerseys after the season, and I never got a chance to get it back,” Ajayi said. “The number was a team effort. I came in and one of my new teammates (Doherty’s Jake Needham) said ‘I got you’ and put some tape on the back of my shirt.”

While Needham used a little creativity with some masking tape, at the plate it was all Ajayi, who took Mark Singleton’s first-pitch fastball nearly out of the park. It brought home rival-turned-teammate Ben Padrnos of St. Mary’s, who reached on an infield hit.

“I was supposed to start, but I forgot the game was today,” said Ajayi, whose career highlights included winning a 3A state basketball title in 2015. “I came in late, so got to play the middle innings instead. I was looking for a fastball since he was throwing a couple to everybody else. I didn’t want to miss it, and it was just where I liked it.”

For the fifth straight year, Security Service Field played host to two contests – one featuring underclassmen started the day – that mainly featured the top seniors who attended 4A and 5A high schools.

The scant four players who represented schools with slightly smaller enrollments sent a message to their larger-school counterparts and teammates: Don’t forget about us.

Besides Ajayi and Padrnos (two RBIs), the other two healthy 3A players played a part in the victory; Travis Struble, fresh off a run to the 3A state championship game for Manitou Springs, drew a pinch-hit walk in the eighth, and Daniel Torchinsky of St. Mary’s was hit by a pitch. Both scored on a single by Rampart’s Walter Duggan.

Dominic Archuleta of Manitou Springs sat out with an injured back.

“Nobody is going to convince me that kids from 3A are not just as talented as kids from 5A,” Cheyenne Mountain coach Mark Swope said. “You have kids that can flat out play at the lower divisions. This kind of setting gives guys an opportunity to measure up and let people know they can compete.”

Padrnos’ single in the seventh extended the 5A/3A lead to 5-2, a fitting end to his competitive career.

“After we lost to Kent Denver (in the playoffs), it hit me that this would be my last time to be out here playing the game I love,” said Padrnos, who plans on playing club baseball when he attends Gonzaga. “It was a lot of fun. It was the first time meeting a lot of these guys who play in 5A, but it’s still baseball and I’m trying to help the team win.”

Michael Ajayi was the only player on either squad not to don his school’s official jersey Monday at the 55th annual Southern Colorado High School All-Star senior baseball game at Security Service Field.

And as a result, he was the only player to wear a number – 1.-4 – that wasn’t actually a number.

The Colorado Springs Christian School senior also showed up late and lost his starting assignment in center field.

He didn’t complain. Not for the final game of his high school career.

Instead, he took advantage of his spot as a reserve, recording by far the game’s hardest-hit ball for a double off the base of the wall in left-center field to break a 2-all tie in the sixth inning as the 5A/3A team downed the 4A all-stars, 7-3.

“We turned in our jerseys after the season, and I never got a chance to get it back,” Ajayi said. “The number was a team effort. I came in and one of my new teammates (Doherty’s Jake Needham) said ‘I got you’ and put some tape on the back of my shirt.”

While Needham used a little creativity with some masking tape, at the plate it was all Ajayi, who took Mark Singleton’s first-pitch fastball nearly out of the park. It brought home rival-turned-teammate Ben Padrnos of St. Mary’s, who reached on an infield hit.

“I was supposed to start, but I forgot the game was today,” said Ajayi, whose career highlights included winning a 3A state basketball title in 2015. “I came in late, so got to play the middle innings instead. I was looking for a fastball since he was throwing a couple to everybody else. I didn’t want to miss it, and it was just where I liked it.”

For the fifth straight year, Security Service Field played host to two contests – one featuring underclassmen started the day – that mainly featured the top seniors who attended 4A and 5A high schools.

The scant four players who represented schools with slightly smaller enrollments sent a message to their larger-school counterparts and teammates: Don’t forget about us.

Besides Ajayi and Padrnos (two RBIs), the other two healthy 3A players played a part in the victory; Travis Struble, fresh off a run to the 3A state championship game for Manitou Springs, drew a pinch-hit walk in the eighth, and Daniel Torchinsky of St. Mary’s was hit by a pitch. Both scored on a single by Rampart’s Walter Duggan.

Dominic Archuleta of Manitou Springs sat out with an injured back.

“Nobody is going to convince me that kids from 3A are not just as talented as kids from 5A,” Cheyenne Mountain coach Mark Swope said. “You have kids that can flat out play at the lower divisions. This kind of setting gives guys an opportunity to measure up and let people know they can compete.”

Padrnos’ single in the seventh extended the 5A/3A lead to 5-2, a fitting end to his competitive career.

“After we lost to Kent Denver (in the playoffs), it hit me that this would be my last time to be out here playing the game I love,” said Padrnos, who plans on playing club baseball when he attends Gonzaga. “It was a lot of fun. It was the first time meeting a lot of these guys who play in 5A, but it’s still baseball and I’m trying to help the team win.”