The final score was 11-10, but when Cub Scout Pack 52, lined up along the third-base line for the seventh-inning-stretch rendition of "God Bless America," was joined by members of the visiting team, saluting the Stars and Stripes together, that was what this afternoon of baseball in Cotuit was really all about.

"We’re just so honored to be able to host a game like this with all that’s going on and to have the opportunity to have these young men here," Jim Higgins, chairman of the Cape Cod Baseball League committee that organized the U.S. Military All-Stars’ second visit in two years to play preseason exhibition baseball on the Cape. "It’s much more than baseball."

"It’s symbolic of what baseball has stood for, to me, for probably 100 years, but particularly in wartime," said Mike Roberts, third-year field manager of the Cotuit Kettleers, who had the honor of skippering the Cape League’s preseason squad. "Our military people are still protecting our country and yet have a great experience playing a sport they love at the same time."

An appreciative crowd of more than 1,100 turned out for the game, which became the opening contest in the Military All-Stars’ second annual Red White & Blue Tour after games scheduled the previous two days, in Boston against a Yawkey League all-star team and in Chatham against the CCBL squad, were rained out.

Marine Corps Cpl. Tyler Maxon, who pitched an inning and two-thirds for the Military All-Stars, was deployed in Iraq when the first Red White and Blue Tour stopped in Hyannis in 2005. He said he remembered reading about the tour and wishing he could be stateside to take part, just as, he imagined, troops there now probably feel.

"It was hot," he said of his nine-month stint. "A lot of going out riding around in the Humvee. It was just hot. There for a long time, not being able to see your families, not being able to talk to your friends – that was tough."

This year, after taking his turn on the mound, he mingled with fans, giving packets of Military All-Stars baseball cards to children and accepting well-wishes and expressions of gratitude from adults.

Kettleers general manager Bruce Murphy said many fans brought tangible expressions of gratitude to be sent in care packages to troops overseas. Hundreds of dollars the event raised will be used to supply troops with QuikClot, a first-aid product he said he was surprised to learn is included in the standard provisions of only about one in 40 troops. The league and the Kettleers worked with Cape Cod Supports Our Soldiers on that project, he said, one of numerous connections made in the course of organizing the event. The Otis Air National Guard was a key partner, he said. 

The 102d Fighter Wing loaned an American flag that on Oct. 2, 2002 was flown over Ground Zero, former site of the World Trade Center towers in New York City before they were destroyed in terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Tech Sgt. Michael Garth led the color guard, and Master Sgt. Christian Fiore sang "The Star Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America."

The game itself was a seesaw battle, not the most artistic contest ever to grace Lowell Park, owing in part, no doubt, to both teams’ lack of recent action thanks to rain and their schedules – the Military All-Stars, 20-2 on the season with the victory, hadn’t played in a week while the Cape Leaguers, with representatives from nine of the circuit’s 10 clubs, had never played as a team and hadn’t been on any diamond in game action since their college seasons ended.

But at least two of the Cape Leaguers had been teammates before – Barnstable High School alumni Matt Costello and Rich Tri. Costello was wearing the Kettleers’ home pinstripes, while Tri was wearing a Chatham A’s uniform. Both are with their Cape League teams on temporary contracts, hoping to land spots for the full season. Costello said he was "a little bit" disappointed not to play in the game – Roberts got most of the squad in, but Costello was held out because he was scheduled to pitch three innings in an exhibition against the Great Lakes League’s Columbus All-Americans Tuesday. Still, it was a thrill to be able to call himself a Cape League player.

"It’s pretty amazing," said Costello, now at Iona. "I got picked for the team I wanted to get picked for."

"It’s real exciting," said Tri, who plays at Central Connecticut. "It’s a great opportunity for me."

He admitted to being nervous his first time at the plate, when he was called out on strikes, but he redeemed himself by leading off the next inning with a picture-perfect bunt single, getting on base as the potential tying run late in a one-run game. He was stranded at third as the Cape League squad, leading 10-7 after six, was unable to regain the upper hand after the Military All-Stars plated four in the seventh.

Military All-Stars head coach Lt. Cmdr. Terry Allvord of the U.S. Navy expressed regret over the Chatham cancellation, and said he hopes to come back and play there next year, perhaps bringing the team for a longer Cape stay.

"They treat us well. It’s fun coming to the Cape," he said. "The (league) leadership is fantastic and everybody did a great job."

By By David Curran
dcurran@barnstablepatriot.com