STORY, PHOTO GALLERY and VIDEO by STEVE HARRISON
As the evening neared and the anticipation of the first Battle of the Badges in the Maple City pitting the Hornell Police and the Hornell Fire department squaring off on the high school baseball field for a friendly game of softball not only for bragging right but for many different causes
according to Officer Brent Flaitz.
Officer Flaitz staled that the fund for the games would go to many things the policeman’s club and the fire department take part in throughout the year, such things as team sponsors for Little League and Maple City Softball, annual Shop With a Cop at Christmas time just to name a few of the things the
departments donate to.
With the past two years of the country wrapped in restrictions with the Covid 19 pandemic, if was amazing to see that the community came out in mass to cheer on their favorite City of Hornell Department.
Fans started arriving an hour or more before the game as Hornell’s Athletic Director John Cardamone wore a different hat during the game and became an umpire for the night.
“It was great to see such an amazing turn out as the community has really needed an event like this since the maple city challenge in years past had gone away,” Cardamone said. “The two
combatants didn’t forget about the kids in attendance either, as they held the dizzy bat race, the ball toss and many other events for the kids.”
Fans young and old were treated to a game that was filled with some great plays and some comical moments.
But don’t let all that friendliness fool you.
Both departments came to the field with their best effort, not only to take one the hardware, but for braggings right for a year as this event as well as many more events are being planned, Officer Flaitz said.
As the first inning ended and the jitters got out of the way, The policeman took charge of the game as the lineup had ringers from top to bottom that hadn’t been see since Billy Hoyle in White Men Cant jump.
As far as a score of the game the Hornell Fire Department graciously accepted the defeat at the hands of the Hornell Police Department with a 15-4 victory. For the many of 1,500 fans who spent the evening at Maple City both departments say “THANK YOU.”
STEVE HARRISON PHOTO GALLERY:
