This game was merely an exhibition game, but don’t tell these men and women that.  After all, there is a reason why they are All-Stars.  Both teams competed hard and had fun in the process.  The two teams started off a bit slow, finishing in a 1-1 tie after 2 innings of play.  However, they would warm up quickly.  All-Stars West broke the scoring open in the top of the 3rd, capping off their 4-run inning with a Jesse Daunno 2-run homerun.  All-Stars East answered back quickly, however, with a 3-run homerun off of the bat of Dennis McInerney in the bottom of the inning to bring them within 1 run.  Mike Brizzolara matched that with a 3-run homerun of his own in the top of the 4th.  All-Stars East tacked on 2 more runs in the bottom of the inning, but were beginning to lose ground to their opponent.  Up 8-6, Tony Muccioli of All-Stars West dealt the big blow in the top of the 5th.  His 1-out grand slam, his second homerun of the game, gave All-Stars West a comfortable lead heading into the 6th.  Mike Brizzolara tacked on another insurance run in the 6th with his solo homerun, matching teammate Tony Muccioli with 2 homeruns in the game.  Down 13-6, All-Stars East began to claw their way back into the game.  Capitalizing on All-Star West mistakes, they were able to plate 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th to cut the lead down to just 3 runs.  However, All-Stars West took complete control over the final 3 frames, closing the door on their opponent’s comeback hopes.  All-Stars West tacked on 6 more runs over those innings, including a 2-out 2-run homerun off the bat of Justin McKay in the 9th and another 2-out hit in the 7th by Anthony Muccioli, who tripled in an RBI and scored with aggressive base-running on an errand throw.  All-Stars East was able to plate 1 more run in the 7th, but that would be all.  Setup man Jim Pilla posted a 1-hit shutout 8th inning that paved the way for closer Anthony Romano, who matched that same stat-line in the 9th.  All-Stars West won the game over All-Stars East by a final score of 19-11.

            Congratulations to both teams for excellent individual seasons, making the All-Star teams, and competing in a great game to close the season.  There were plenty of game balls to go around for this one, but players of the game honors go to Randy Williams and Anthony Muccioli of All-Stars West.  Randy Williams pitched 2 innings, giving up just 2 runs, and complimented this with his 4 for 4 effort at the plate that included a triple and earned him 4 runs and 2 RBI’s.  He was constantly setting the table for and helping to turn the lineup over to the top of the order.  Tony Muccioli went 3 for 4 at the plate, including 1 triple and 2 homeruns that resulted in a game high 6 RBI’s.  He consistently game through in the clutch, delivering in big, 2-out situations and with the bases loaded.  Honorable mentions go to Mike Brizzolara, Jesse Daunno, and Alex Bially of All-Stars West and Dennis McInerney, Chris Dunne, Andrew Paganucci, Alyssa See, and Alicia Mattiello of All-Stars East.