First little league softball v. baseball game about fun and appreciation

By Matt Pascarella

It was the perfect night at the ballpark, minus a black fly or two. The games about to be played were

Ice Cream Dug Out baseball team and Bill Diamond softball team

no ordinary games. It was the first ever Windham Little League baseball versus softball games. Two teams played three innings each and the games were purely for fun. This was an idea that several different people on the Windham Little League Board had come up with; a way for the teams to work together.

“From the softball side we get a chance to come over to Lowell Field for Opening Day and that’s pretty much it; everyone kind of goes on their way. It’s a nice way for our league to come together,” explained Nick Ciazzo, vice president of softball for Windham Little League. “This give the girls an appreciation of how the boys play and, on the flipside, giving those boys an understanding of the whole pitching delivery for the girls and respecting the game that they play as well.”

The saying that you throw like a girl is sometimes used as an insult. Well, some girls throw really, really, really well and this game proved that shouldn’t be an insult anymore.

“In the past there’s always been this stigma about you’re either a softball family or a baseball family, we are Windham Little League and we’re all one little league and one community,” remarked Mike Butterfield, Vice President of the Minors baseball division.

 MPM Sealcoating baseball team & Windham Rental softball team

“We’ve had so many rain outs and this cuts in to our regular season stuff, but there’s a bigger picture here that we’re trying to do. Kudos to Bill Ciccerone for getting this field ready for us to play,” replied Ciazzo.

One of the highlights of the night was Wyatt Washburn coming up to bat for baseball team Ice Cream Dugout and his sister, Willow Washburn from Bill Diamond Softball Team was called into pitch. The crowd was howling as the brother/sister faced off.

“With the turn out and reception we got there’s no reason why we wouldn’t do it again,” observed Butterfield.

In the end, softball team Windham Rental beat baseball team MPM Sealcoating, 9-3. And Bill Diamond Softball team beat Ice Cream Dugout 6-0.

“It’s great for the comradery,” stated Ice Cream Dugout coach Ryan Brown.

“Getting both sides together is fantastic; good win for Windham Little League today,” said Bill Diamond Softball Team coach Kregg Jarvais.