WAPPINGERS FALLS - A picturesque view beyond the outfield wall. The jumbo-tron hovering over the left center field wall. Four parachuters sailing onto the field before the first pitch was thrown.

The setting at Dutchess Stadium, home of the Hudson Valley Renegades, was nearly flawless for the third annual New York-Penn League All-Star game on Tuesday. Though the game was four hours from Auburn, the Auburn Doubledays represented a good chunk of the American League roster, with eight making the trip up from Brooklyn, where the team finished up a three game series on Sunday.

Three Doubledays played for the American League affiliates, who came from behind to top the National League 6-4 in the sold out game. Two Auburn players in particular scored significant runs in the game that was played only for pride.

“Anytime you play a game, you#,re in it to win,” Auburn manager Dennis Holmberg said. “An all-star game is an even bigger event, but you're surrounding yourself on both sides with the best in the league. You see a lot of good things and you see very few bad things.”

In addition to Holmberg, Doubledays pitching coach Antonio Caceres, hitting coach Justin Mashore and trainer Dan McIntosh were chosen to manage the AL team because the Doubledays had the best record of the American League teams at the cut-off date. Chosen for their play were Ben Zeskind, who made the start in left field and batted second in the game. Starting pitcher Brett Cecil switched roles for a few pitches; reliever Cody Crowell faced three

batters and first baseman Manny Rodriguez was a late addition after Ryan Kalish, of Lowell, was recently promoted.

Though Cecil did not see any game action, he did play catcher for the six pre-game first pitches. As far as the game went, the NL team gathered four runs before the AL got their second hit, courtesy of Zeskind in the fourth. The Doubledays outfielder, who made earned his second straight all-star appearance by leaping his average over .300 in the leadoff spot, scored the AL's first run in the fourth, on a Maiko Loyola (Hudson Valley) single. With a 4-2 lead going into the sixth, Crowell and Rodriguez teamed up to shut the NL down in three batters. Crowell fanned Collin DeLome (Tri-City) before Rodriguez turned the only double play of the game, unassisted at first base.

The Doubledays cleanup batter then added an offensive highlight to his first NY-P all-star game, when he hit a sacrifice fly to center field in the bottom of the inning to score Joe Nowak (Aberdeen), to cut the NL lead to one.

The AL scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to steal the win. Casper Wells (Oneonta) scored Austin McClure to tie the game. With two outs, Rodriguez hit a clutch single to centerfield. With the next at-bat, Christopher Carlson (Oneonta) hit in the winning run and Jansen Infant (Machining Valley) brought in Rodriguez for the last score of the game.

“For us, the guys that started, we kind of couldn't get it going until late,” Holmberg said. “Of course, Carlson got the big hit, Manny got a big hit and made some nice plays at first base. It as a lot of fun - you get to see different players and meet them, know them a little bit. They all come together for one common purpose and that's because they were chosen as all-stars. You usually see a good ballgame, and it was tonight.”

The NL, led by Brooklyn manager Edgar Alfonzo was outnumbered by one with 29 players, but it didn't hinder its hitting, with 12 hits, compared to nine for the AL. The New York Mets affiliated Cyclones, along with Vermont (Washington) and State College (Pittsburgh) led the NL team with five selections apiece. Mahoning Valley (Cleveland) and Oneonta (Detroit) led the AL team with six all-star selections each.

American 6

National 4