'Fowl Play' continues as a Beak Week classic
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on September 7, 2018 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Third baseman for the Sharks Joe Cappola tags out the Quacks' Ben Eskra during Thursday night's annual charity 'Fowl Play' softball game at the Boys and Girls Clubs.
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Boys and Girls Club football players Josiah Banks, 9, and Kimontay Smith, 9, hold the flag during the singing of the national anthem before Thursday night's game.
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This year's winners, the lawyers, pose for a photo with the Fowl Play trophy.
The annual "Fowl Play" softball attorneys vs. doctors softball game Thursday night followed a similar pattern to last year's game -- an early doctors lead and a late rally from the attorneys.
The attorneys -- also known as the "Sharks" -- narrowly took the game 11-10, after a blistering start from the "Quacks" doctors team put them up by several runs through most of the game.
The game began at 6:30 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wayne/Johnston counties on Royall Avenue. Despite the temperature outside climbing past 90 degrees, both teams lined up their rosters -- neither of which had spent a day practicing, as is tradition -- and settled in for seven innings.
The Fowl Play game is part of Beak Week, the week of bird-themed events and attractions leading up to Saturday's N.C. Poultry Festival. While in years past the game has served as a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs, being so close to Pig in the Park -- another large fundraiser for the club -- made it harder to find sponsors for this year's event, said Jacqueline Kannan, Boys and Girls Clubs of Wayne/Johnston counties development director.
"I'm just glad that all of these professionals still support the boys club," she said. "The whole community really comes together for the poultry festival, and this is our way to be part of that. It's really just about fun, because that's what the Boys and Girls Clubs is about."
Those in attendance certainly had fun. As Wayne County Clerk of Court Justin Minshew took to home plate to bat, his young son, Landon, could hardly contain himself on the sideline.
"Go, Daddy; Go, Daddy," he yelled, running around in a circle and jumping up on the bleachers.
Nearby, Knox the sausage dog howled and barked whenever cheers for the Sharks rose up. Judged on volume alone, it seemed the pooch was actually the lawyers' most enthusiastic supporter.
Despite the fun nature of the game, the players were clearly ready to take some punishment to make a play. Worth Haithcock, attorney with Haithcock Barfield & Hulse PLLC, made a diving catch for a foul ball midway through the game -- even more impressive when you consider Haithcock's prosthetic left leg.
"When you have one leg, you can take one step, and then your options are limited," he joked. "You can either jump or back up."
Several of Haithcock's teammates in the outfield shouted that the catch should be worth two outs.
The captains and pitchers of both teams -- Dustin Pittman for the Sharks and Ben Eskra for the Quacks -- nearly lost a few teeth to softballs whizzing past the pitcher's mound, but there was no need to call a dentist from the dugout as everyone went home happy and healthy.
Holding the trophy for the fourth year in a row, Pittman said he was happy to have had a team at all.
"We put this team together on Tuesday, and by Tuesday I really mean today," he said with a grin. "We put out the email on Monday while everybody was on Labor Day vacation, and I had 15 people commit and eight show up."
Eskra, with Eskra Plastic Surgery, said he was happy that everyone came through the game without any injuries. Despite losing a close game, he was simply happy to have played.
"We had a ton of fun, and it's just for a good cause," he said. "We all really enjoyed it, and we're looking forward to coming back next year."