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Sports

Fanwood Youth Organization Baseball's Pitch, Hit and Run: Major League Success

The annual event was held at La Grande Park on Saturday.

Despite a soggy, dripping early morning start, Fanwood Youth Organization Baseball played enthusiastic host to its annual Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run event on Saturday at La Grande Park in Fanwood.

The event drew eager participants, as well as supportive parents and grandparents in the hundreds, and was a great success. The event provided a skills competition for kids, and a chance to advance through four levels of competition, ultimately leading to the chance at an appearance at the MLB All Star Game. At its heart, the event provided young players and their families a chance to have a great baseball experience and family day out.

Young kids in baseball hats, toting gloves and bats, were ubiquitous as were Mom's shivering in the cool, damp Saturday weather. Chattering teeth or no, there was a sea of smiles as kids went from station to station learning the essentials of the game, while being cheered on by enthusiastic event organizers, coaches, and parents.

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Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr officially kicked off the event shortly after 11 a.m., and introduced Major League Baseball All-Star Jeffrey Hammonds, a former Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School baseball standout. Hammonds launched the drills clinic part of the event and got all of the players moving through various stations. He received a warm welcome, and thanked some familiar faces from his youth for coming out in support.

The event consisted of three primary stations — as the name of the event suggests, pitching, hitting and running — which highlighted three key fundamentals of the game. Hammonds, after launching the drills for each of the age groups for the first hour, could later be seen meeting with fans, while Sparkee, the Somerset Patriots' mascot, made the rounds greeting children and rallying the crowd. There was also a silent auction and memorabilia for the youngest collector, and each participant got the feel for a mini-training camp designed to inspire enthusiasm for America's great national pastime.

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Boys and girls from kindergarten on up jumped into the action running drills, and honing their skill sets as they attended various stations and participated in different exercises. While running the bases was timed, pitches were measured for accuracy, and the effectiveness of hits was gauged, children of all ages could enjoy some fun on the bounce houses and inflated slides and obstacle courses.

Everyone had a turn, everyone got rooted for, and all had a great time. Young players had an opportunity to learn some of the game's fundamentals from one of the best. There was food, music, and overall good cheer at an auspicious beginning to what promises to be a truly fun season for FYO Baseball.

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