Community Sports: Woodlands Community Celebrates Bravery Through the Boots vs. Badges Softball Game

THE WOODLANDS -- To mark the start of National Night Out, The Woodlands Fire Department and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office squared off in a friendly softball game to headline events at McCullough Junior High School.

Under a sunny sky, The Woodlands Township hosted various events at McCullough Junior High to spread awareness about community safety and celebrate the everyday bravery displayed by local heroes.

Welcoming citizens ahead of the softball game, a large car show filled the parking lot with eye-catching rides brought in by motorheads from the area.

The Hot Rods & Home Runs Car Display allowed proud car owners to show off their wheels to those in attendance. Modern luxury cars, classics and antiques from years past, and even custom jobs mirroring iconic cars from movies were all on display for patrons.

After walking past the incredible rides, the main event of the afternoon awaited. A friendly, yet competitive, softball matchup between the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and The Woodlands Fire Department.

The Montgomery County Sherrif’s Office were reigning champions from last season, but the men in red were looking forward to dethroning the title holders in a spirited softball game.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Woodlands Fire Chief Palmer Buck spoke on the preliminary excitement that comes around each year surrounding the game.

“It’s a lot about the bragging rights for the year that we work on. And these men and women put their lives on the line by working in some serious situations,” said Buck. “So when we can come out here in an unstressful environment and hang out, it's great and it’s a great cause.”

National Night Out is designed to spread awareness around communities about various issues that affect citizens at every level. Drug awareness, anti-crime, and community-oriented initiatives are the focus of the efforts of those involved in National Night Out.

“We start talking about things one to two months ahead to start making plans,” said Buck. “We got them two years ago, they got us last year, so they have the bragging rights. But we want to come out and have fun, but we want to be competitive.”

The friendly mindset was shared with the MCSO, who equally pride themselves in protecting the community and in their play on the diamond.

In another interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, MCSO Sergeant Jason Moore shared his thoughts on the inherent cooperation between the departments and how it fuels their competitive drives.

“It's the two-parter of the camaraderie with the guys at the [Police] Department,” said Moore. “We all work at different divisions, different shifts, so this is a chance for us to come together and have a good time while putting on a show for the citizens.”

The unique spin of seeing first responders in an atypical environment knocks down walls of preconception and allows the community to see the fun sides of the normally straight-faced officers.

“Not only do they get a chance to meet their firefighters and their police officers,” said Moore. “But they get to watch them play and show off skillsets you wouldn’t normally see.”

The heat of competition got underway, with the MCSO taking advantage of early hits and a grand slam in the bottom of the first to snag an early lead. Their bats refused to cool down, with the group carrying the lead into the fifth inning.

An explosion of runs swung the game toward WFD’s side, with the team exiting the top of the fifth inning with a 13-12 lead. The momentum changer came on a three-run inside-the-park homerun, and the Fire Department would continually maintain a lead afterward.

Each time the MCSO would retake the lead, a strong swing or defensive play from the WFD would slam the door shut. The game-sealing plays came in the top of the ninth, where the firefighters tallied nine runs on 11 hits to take the game-clinching 28-27 lead.

Their accomplishments in the community led to excellent plays on the field with both squads taking pride in their play. But the title goes to The Woodlands Fire Department for their late-game heroics in an all-out community showcase.