Given that the Haymarket Senators entered the Valley Baseball League mid-season break with a 10-18 record, expectations for the players the team did send to the all-star game on Sunday night could not have been all that high.

That, of course, coming despite the fact that Haymarket made club history this year by actually hosting the mid-summer night's classic, a first for the organization in the NCAA-sanctioned wooden bat league.

To make matters more grueling for Senators fans hoping to see their stars shine in front of 17 Major League Baseball scouts, two players could not make the home run derby despite qualifying for the event.

Add to that the team's ace pitcher Peter Kelich would sit out the match too because he was slated originally to play in the VBL's all-star game against the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League the following Monday.

He didn't end up playing that game either.

In the end, shortstop Matt Marra, designated hitter Mike Snyder and outfielder Josh Boyd ended up representing the Senators on the North all-star team which defeated the South 6-4. Snyder also competed in the home run derby, won by Harrisonburg's Mac Williamson.

"Making the team is obviously an honor," said Marra, also reflecting on the idea that Haymarket played host this year.

As it turned out, the Senators duo of Marra and Snyder actually ended up providing the margin of victory for the North.

The Le Moyne College shortstop from Brewerton, New York smacked a bases-loaded grounder to short in the bottom of the fifth inning that served as a fielder's choice RBI, providing the North with its third run of the inning and a 4-1 cushion.

Snyder led off the bottom of the sixth inning against southpaw Tyler Smith of Staunton. After fouling off the first pitch and checking his swing for a ball on the second, the 6-foot-4 power hitter from Centreville smacked a hot-shot grounder between second base and the shortstop. It caused the infield umpire to run toward left field in order to dodge the ball as it rolled into centerfield for a base hit.

A fielder's choice ground out by Tanner Leighton of Woodstock advanced Snyder to second base, setting up Front Royal second baseman Chris Triplett with a big opportunity.

The Georgia Tech freshman took it for what it was worth by clubbing a 1-0 offering for a to center field. The ball ended up skipping by the outfielder, allowing Triplett to collect three bases and Snyder to head home all the way from first base.

He bumped fists with Woodstock's Michael Vinson, the eventual all-star MVP, just outside of the dirt toward the first base dugout after crossing the plate and kept up the glad-handing celebrations in the dugout too as the North began building up a lead that reached 6-1 by the end of the inning.

"I just thought it would be an RBI single," said Triplett of his hit.

Triplett mentioned that he "was looking for anything middle and away" and explained that he made it to third base after he "put the jets on" once it became clear that the ball still had some momentum in the outfield.

The South mounted a bit of a come back in the top of the seventh with two runs and collected one more in the ninth inning but ultimately fell short.

In all, the North used nine pitchers, with Jonathan Jones of Strasburg picking up the win for his performance in the sixth inning. Triplett's Front Royal teammate Kyle Scallion earned the save, striking out one batter and giving up one hit in the final inning.