All Star starters Mike Alvarez(Florida Gulf Coast) and Bobby Leeper(UNC-Wilmington) as well as reserves Kolby Epley(College of Charleston) and Bryant Gaines(North Carolina) all saw action in the rain shortened all star game Tuesday night. Click to listen to a special edition of Shark Bytes.

The National team ended up taking the victory 5-3 in seven full innings in Asheboro.

Clouds hovered over McCrary Park all day long Tuesday but the game got off to a fast, and dry, start. In the top of the first a solo home run off the bat of Edenton's Brett Nommensen(Eastern Illinois) put the Leeper's National team on top one nothing.

A long ball, this time a three run shot, off the bat of Asheboro Copperhead Daniel Wagner(Hersey) put the American team on top. Gaines, Epley and Alvarez all were members of the American club, coached in part by the Sharks Daniel Hersey(St. Leo).

The National team would come storming back in the fourth inning with four runs to take a 5-3 lead. Leeper picked up a clutch one out single, bounding a grounder right over the head of fellow Shark Alvarez, to drive in what turned out to be the winning two runs.

Alvarez would get his own defensive revenge on his Shark teammate that same inning. With Leeper on third and two down, another runner broke from first. The American catcher threw down to second where Alvarez was covering. Leeper broke from third on the throw, but Alvarez made the catch and snapped a throw to the plate to cut down Leeper and end the inning.

After a rain delay in the top of the fifth, the Sharks two All Star starters would leave the game, but the fun was just beginning for the other Wilmington stars.

Both Epley and Gaines came out to start the sixth inning. With his hometown catcher Epley behind the plate, Gaines came out throwing heat. The first two National batters went down swinging against the Sharks starter. After an error on an excuse me swing grounder to short, Gaines came right back to get a fly ball to center for a hitless inning of work.

The Sharks will be back in regular season action at home against the Fayetteville Swampdogs Thursday night. The game gets underway at 7pm and is another Thirsty Thursday out at the Shark Tank.