Hooligans Kyler Hanson throwing a pitch at Legion Park versus the Oak Island Loggerheads.
Travis Petty Jr | The Laurinburg Exchange
Cheif of Police for the city of Laurinburg, Mitch Johnson at Legion Park as the Hooligans faced the Loggerheads on police night.
Travis Petty Jr | The Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG — Under the bright lights of a Tuesday night, the roar of the crowd echoed across Legion Park. The bleachers were packed, not with your typical baseball fans but with a few more badges and black and blue uniforms in the crowd than usual.
Tuesday’s game was more than just a Hooligans baseball game; it was Police Department Night and the Highland Hooligans were ready to put on a show.
From the opening pitch, the Hooligans knew they had one job: “knock it out of the park.” And that they did, taking an early lead in the opening innings, 2-0. But things quickly unraveled, and the Hooligans couldn’t stop the bleeding, failing to score another run for the rest of the night, resulting in another heartbreaking loss, 5-2.
The Hooligans have been on a downhill spiral, losing their last three games, with their last win occurring on June 11. Tuesday’s loss ruffled some feathers, as many players and coaches appeared irritated and frustrated, especially knowing they might have won the game early if they had made simple adjustments.
This was a disheartening loss because the Hooligans controlled the momentum early but were unable to hold on for the win.
Head coach J.R. Polak was not available for comment.
Assistant coach Nathen Steen commented on his team’s performance after Tuesday night’s loss.
“They’re a good team,” Steen said. “Every team we play, it’s always back and forth. For us, it’s just getting better at the bat. Obviously, we started hot, but the second, third, fourth at-bats, we just didn’t make the adjustments we needed to.”
“Going forward from here, we’re hoping for guys to learn from these mistakes and in the next game when we get to second, third at bat, we are making those adjustments.”
Even though things didn’t go as planned for the Hooligans, fans packed the park out. Mitch Johnson, Chief of Police for the City of Laurinburg, emphasized the value of the Highland Hooligans to the city and expressed gratitude for their shining light on the police department.
“Hooligans baseball is revitalizing- it’s brought people to love the game of baseball and brought us back together,” Johnson said. “It’s a great feeling having everyone coming out to root for the Hooligans; it makes the community come together.”
“Appreciation means a lot to me because I believe officers come out selflessly to keep our community safe. We are very appreciative that the city of Laurinburg recognizes the sacrifices that officers make, and we’re thankful for the opportunity to give back to the community.”
Planet Fitness was also present, passing out wristbands and providing a warm welcome. Kona Ice served refreshing shaved ice and general manager Billy Norris provided drinks and snacks at the concession stand.
The Hooligans will have a quick turnaround as they host the Sandhills Bogeys in Legion Park on June 19 at 7 p.m., with a 2-6 record staring them right in the face. Tickets are available at highlandhooligans.com.
Travis Petty Jr can be reached at tpetty@cmpapers.com and twitter @T_PettySports.