Bowman Field. SUN-GAZETTE PHOTO

A woman struck by a foul ball who suffered severe and permanent injuries, allegedly as a result of temporary netting installed, has filed a civil suit in Lycoming County Court.

Deborah Barbella of Livingston, New Jersey, claimed on May 2, 2025, she was attending a baseball game at Journey Bank Park at Historic Bowman Field, when she was struck in the face by a ball causing the injuries.

She lists defendants as Major League Baseball, Cutting Edge Baseball LLC d.b.a. Williamsport Crosscutters and the City of Williamsport in the civil action.

In the months preceding her injuries, the suit contends, the city and the ball club organizations were aware that Bowman Field’s netting system was unsafe and a violation of MLB’s netting system requirements, according to the claim.

The injury would not have occurred if the defendants installed an appropriate netting system, as required by MLB, before the start of the 2025 season, Barbella’s claim states.

On Feb. 13, 2025, the city initially awarded the netting construction project to Brix Design Group, LLC. According to the resolution, Brix Design Group was required to make “additional improvements [to the stadium] that will focus on the safety of its spectators and visitors.”

In some locations this will require replacement and in others it will be new construction, officials were told.

Further, it was acknowledged that the project needed to be done “very quickly” to get the field ready for the upcoming season, according to the suit.

However, Brix Design Group, LLC, never started working on the netting project in February of 2025, according to the claim.

On March 26, 2025, the city re-opened the bidding for the netting construction project during a City Council meeting. According to the meeting minutes, the city

acknowledged the urgency of completing the netting renovations because MLB required it to be done before the start of the season.

Defendants opted to install a

temporary netting system and decided to make permanent changes in the fall of 2025, which was well beyond opening day for the MLB season that year, according to the suit.

To meet MLB safety requirements for the upcoming season, city staff and contractors installed temporary netting as an interim measure.

Staff asked for a rebid to the permanent netting in roughly a month and aimed for a fall installation of the permanent system that year.

On April 24, 2025, the city passed a resolution awarding the Bowman Field Netting Improvements Project to Sportsfield.

During the meeting, the city again admitted the urgency of completing the netting project because it was required by MLB in order to protect fans, and it “hoped” the project would be completed by May of 2025.

The netting failed to cover all “spectator areas” and failed to make those areas

safe for all patrons, including Barbella, according to the suit.

On the date of the incident, a foul ball was hit into the stands, and came through the

netting, and struck the left side of Barbella’s face, causing serious and permanent injuries.

“Defendants created and/or knew of the existing netting system at the stadium was

unsafe, too short, full of gaps, dangerous, and in violation of MLB standards, and knew the netting system posed a potential danger to people and patrons at Bowman Field,” the suit claimed.

Barbella’s causes of action included counts of negligence/carelessness, and recklessness against the defendants.

Barbella, through her attorney, Joseph Z. Swist, requested judgment in her favor in an amount in excess of $50,000 for compensatory damages, together with all lawful interest, cost and damage for pre-judgment delay.