While in town for the weekend's This One's For Hop softball tournament, the Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball Team took time Friday, July 13, to play some ball with players from Brainerd's Miracle League.
The league includes children with physical and mental disabilities who play on the Brainerd Lakes Miracle League Field in Bane Park. The field is designed for those with disabilities, utilizing artificial turf to create a safe, level surface, according to the city of Brainerd. People using wheelchairs or other mobility devices can maneuver around the bases on the surface.
Organizations, services groups and businesses are asked to choose a night or two during which they volunteer to help the physically and mentally disabled individuals play baseball. Miracle League rules state everyone gets a base hit, everyone scores, and at the end of the game, both teams win. A buddy system is used to help participants bat, round the bases and field the ball.
The Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball Team is made up of men and women, both veterans and active duty soldiers, from all service branches, who suffered injuries resulting in amputation. Through extensive rehabilitation, they became competitive athletes again, playing against able-bodied teams in competitive, celebrity and exhibition games across the country, according to a news release.
The team played against Team USA All-Stars later Friday at Mills Field in a celebrity matchup, including Brainerd's Joe Haeg, now a player on the Indianapolis Colts NFL team, and Josh Archibald, a member of the Arizona Coyotes NHL team.
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