NEWS

BETHESDA, MD - by Lukas Favale/Syracuse (Alexandria Aces) - This year's All-Star game had just about everything you expect from an All-Star game: highlight reel plays, a ton of substitutions, and, for the most part, a competitive game. In the end, it was the National All-Stars that beat the American All-Stars 9-3 on a beautiful Wednesday night at Shirley Povich Field.

The National All-Stars were made up of players from the Baltimore Redbirds, Bethesda Big Train, Herndon Braves, Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts, and Southern Maryland Nationals. The American All-Stars were made up of players from the Alexandria Aces, Rockville Express, Youse's Orioles, Vienna River Dogs, and DC Grays.

The game was close through most of the game, until the National All-Stars broke it open in the bottom of the 6th. Locked in a 3-3 tie, American All-Stars manager Corey Haines went to Chris McKenna of the Alexandria Aces. Kyle Toomey of the Herndon Braves single to start the inning before Wes Walker, also of the Braves, walked and Cole Norton of the Bethesda Big Train was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.

Jake Huxtable of the Silver Spring-Takome Thunderbotlts followed that with a sacrifice fly to make it a 4-3 game. McKenna then got Wes Hoskins of the Southern Maryland Nationals to hit a potential double play ball to the short stop Bobby Rice bobbled it to re-load the bases. Hunter Renfroe of the Big Train hit an RBI single, Colin Kish of the Big Train grounded into a fielders choice for an RBI and Jake Taylor of the Thunderbolts hit an RBI single to open up the 7-3 lead for the National All-Stars.

They would add to their lead in the 7th, as Renfroe and Kish both hit RBI singles to make it 9-3. Renfroe and Kish each finished with 2 RBIs in the game as they were the only two players to play the full game.

The American All-Stars jumped out to the early lead in the 1st inning. After starter Cameron Cuneo of the Big Train got two quick outs, KJ Hockaday of the Youse's Orioles laced a single right back up the middle. The next batter Trent Higginbothem of the Vienna River Dogs pulled a double down the left field line to score Hockaday and up the American All-Stars up 1-0.

They doubled that lead in the 2nd, when Ryan Ripken of the Orioles started the inning with a single and John Beaubien of the DC Grays walked and Anthony Papio of the Aces singled to load the bases. Norm Donkin of the Rockville Express then walked to force in a run as the American All-Stars took a 2-0 lead.

The National All-Stars cut into that lead in the bottom half of that inning as Kyle Toomey of the Braves, and eventual All-Star Game MVP, blasted a home run off of Colin Milon of the Aces. Then in the 3rd, Pat Blair of the Baltimore Redbirds scored on a wild pitch from Ronnie Glenn of the Aces to make it a 2-2 game.

The American All-Stars reclaimed the lead in the 4rd, on an RBI single from Norm Donkin, but the National All-Stars responded with another run off of Glenn. This run was scored on a hit by pitch by the Braves' James Vasquez.

Please click this link for the box score of the game: http://crcbl.bbstats.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=102728

Please click this link to hear Alexandria Aces broadcaster Lukas Favale's call of the game: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/aces.portal#  Click 'On Demand' to select the game.