“They ran out of room on the scoreboard.”
After a night in Worcester at Polar Park, we made the drive back a few miles down the road to Fitton Field to see the Holy Cross Crusaders take on the LeHigh Mountain Hawks in the final series of the regular season for the Patriot League. In retrospect we probably should have spent the night in Worcester, but the drive isn’t that bad.
It was Senior Day for the Crusaders, with a short pre-game ceremony and many family members in attendance. Eli was conflicted on what to wear, and chose a Red Sox hat and Phillies t-shirt – something to represent both teams. I still can’t figure out his admiration for the Phillies, but that’s ok!
The ballpark was great – lots of seating, easily accessible bathrooms and easy to get to. It lacked in shade and parking, though. Unfortunately, my car took a foul ball to the roof during the game, so next time I’ll find a better area to park. I’m not sure if they ever open the concession area, or if it’s only used for Worcester Bravehearts games during the summer.
There is lots of history at this ballpark, dating back to 1905 when Holy Cross started playing there. In 1922 while at Columbia University, Lou Gherig played at the field, as did Babe Ruth in 1935 for an exhibition game against Holy Cross while a member of the Boston Braves. It would definitely be fun to see a game here with a packed crowd – maybe for the Patriot League championship series.
Holy Cross brought the offensive in Game 1 of the double header, setting a season high for runs scored with 24 over 6 1/2 innings. Apparently the scoreboard only accepts single digits for runs in each inning, as the 12 run 3rd couldn’t display properly. Sophomore John LaFleur hit a grand slam which Eli promptly collected and returned to him. We briefly considered staying for Game 2, but a storm was coming and we wanted to get home. The game ended up starting but getting postponed until Sunday, where they finished and also played Game 3.
Holy Cross concluded the season in first place in the Patriot League, clinching homefield advantage for the semifinals next weekend against the #4 seed LeHigh (again!). Navy (#2 seed) will take on Army (#3 seed) in Annapolis.
