Inaugural Brainerd Fire vs. Police Softball Game a Success

Last Thursday, Brainerd Community Action hosted the first softball game between the Brainerd Fire Department and the Brainerd Police Department. The game was originally supposed to be played in August, but inclement weather pushed it back two weeks, which only fed the anticipation.

The inaugural Brainerd Fire and Police softball game went as well as anyone could have hoped. From the match itself to the minigames in between innings, the crowd was glad to support the people who work to keep them safe.

“We couldn’t be happier with the turnout,” said Brainerd Community Action Executive Director Dave Badeaux. “You know, it’s a Thursday during school, but people came out and had a great time. And I can’t say enough about how it is to just celebrate the people that protect us and the people that go to work each day, just putting their lives on the line and giving an opportunity to just represent and show them how much we care.”

The police team took the game 9-5.

“It was a blast, this was an awesome event,” said Brainerd Police Sergeant Joel Reed. “It was fun, it’s always fun to be with these guys. We have a blast no matter what we do.”

Going into the game, police officers felt they had the bragging rights over the fire department, and the victory just adds fuel to the fire.

“Just another reason to make fun of them,” joked Reed. “So that’s about it.”

It was all in good fun in the friendly rivalry between Brainerd’s bravest and finest. The event was meant to be a fun night for all involved, and it was hard to find anyone at Stewart C. Mills Field without a smile.

“The crowd, you know, the community’s here. And then, of course, our families are here,” said Brainerd Fire Chief Tim Holmes. “And, you know, we had a really good representation from our families, which is fun to have them. And then, you know, they come out and run the bases afterwards. And so, yeah, we had a great time.”

And with the amount of fun had by police officers, firefighters, organizers, and the crowd, this will hopefully be an event may people have circled on their calendars for years to come.

“I think the anticipation for this, for the years coming forward is going to be pretty great,” added Badeaux. “And yeah, absolutely, I think that there’s going to be a rivalry brewing. You know, there was a little bit of questioning about the score. There was practices happening before, secret practices. That’s the stuff you want to see. You want to see people get really excited with it and have fun, but also take it serious enough to make sure it’s competitive. Couldn’t be happier.”

Funds raised from the event will go towards making small improvements to Stewart C. Mills Field.