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Challenger game brings players from Syracuse, Lancaster

Everybody won during the Little League Challenger Division exhibition game Saturday morning.

"This is an amazing program for people with different abilities," Rebecca Nett, of Lancaster, said. Her son, Fallon Nett, has played for the Challenger of Lancaster County Little League team for the last six years.

People with physical and intellectual disabilities are able to be on a team, have fun with friends and learn the sport of baseball, she said.

"It's a hard thing as a mom with a special needs child," Nett said. "Fallon has autism and ADHD. You get scared that he's never going to get the experience" of playing a sport.

Getting a chance to play against the New York District 8 Little League Challenger Division from Syracuse, New York, has been all Fallon has talked about for the last month, Nett said.

"He's been telling all our family and friends," she said. "He's so excited to be on TV."

Both Challenger teams arrived Friday and were able to practice on Original Field in Williamsport.

"It was pretty neat to see Original and to see what it became," Nett said.

Betsy Nerkle, of Morrisville, New York, was at Volunteer Stadium to cheer on her friend's son, Kelly Meigs.

"This is his dream," Nerkle said. "He's in a wheelchair. He can't play normal games."

One month ago, she found out that the Syracuse Challenger team would be coming to play in South Williamsport, but they kept the news from Meigs because he had some medical issues he had to overcome first.

"The look (on his face) was priceless," Nerkle said.

Kirsten Ireland, from Syracuse, was there for her son Daniel, who was an alternate in Saturday's game, but played in the senior division at Original Field on Friday, where he got a hit. He started playing with the team when he was 4 years old, 15 years ago, she said.

"This is an amazing game with amazing players of all abilities," Ireland said.

Since their team found out about coming to the Little League Complex a few months ago, their directors had been prepping them and putting in a lot of hard work, she said.

"He's just so beyond excited," Ireland said. "He loves baseball."

Ireland especially appreciated the whole atmosphere of the field.

"I'm just proud," Ireland said. "Most of these kids thought they'd never be able to play sports. But to be on the field, especially this field, it's amazing."

The stands were full of fans, cheering on the players, including the Latin America, Panama, Europe-Africa and Australia teams. Each time a player came up to bat, the Latin American team started the cheer, using the player's name.

Whenever a player hit the ball, both sides of the stands cheered, and the fans cheered even louder when they came home. Even the teams rooted for each other, as the defense and offense high fived after hits.

"It's been unreal," Nett said. "It's amazing. I've been crying all morning."