Camden Riversharks And Fans Share Batting Practice Aboard Battleship NJ
By Paul Kurtz
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) -- A couple of players from the Camden Riversharks baseball team took a road trip today to the Battleship New Jersey to join baseball fans for a round of batting practice.
It sounds like a strange idea, but it worked.
In the shadow of the battleship's big guns, people stepped up up to a batting tee and whacked tennis balls into the Delaware River.
The event was a home run for the kids.
"This is like a dream come true," said one young man. "It was actually pretty fun. I thought people would be pitching it. But it was better than I thought."
What was going through his mind when he stepped up to the tee?
"I thought that I was either gonna hit a ball really far or my bat was going to slip out into the ocean. One or the other."
Riversharks' players Alex Hudak and Brian Pounds brought along their wooden batting practice bats.
"This is more fun than it is odd," said Hudak (below), "coming out and hanging out with fans who want to be here. This is a blast."
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"When they asked us to do it, it sounded fun, and it was. It was a great time!" added Pounds.
After the event, a tugboat retrieved the tennis balls from the river.
Battleship New Jersey caretakers came up with the idea for today's event after previously hosting a successful on-deck golf event.