Enfield Baseball Alumni Gather in Full Force: PHOTOS

ENFIELD, CT — A little bit of rain - okay, it actually poured buckets - didn't dampen the enthusiasm of more than 60 former Enfield High School baseball players who gathered Saturday for a four-team event billed as "The Battle of Powder Hollow."

The deluge of rain made the diamond at Powder Hollow Park unplayable, placing the entire day's activities in jeopardy, but a quick phone call and a shift to the indoor Sports World facility in East Windsor salvaged the day.

Alumni players ranging from the classes of 1965 through 2006 turned out for the gathering, including some who flew in from as far away as Arizona and Florida. A draft had been conducted earlier in the year, with coaches Bob Bromage, Bob Cressotti, Tom Owens and Jay Gaucher selecting their rosters.

The action, pitting the four squads in a single elimination-style tournament, was top-notch, with the game faces being on right from the opening pitch. There were a number of fancy fielding plays, including several diving stops and a double play from center field to first base. There were long shots hit into the outfield gaps, sliding tag plays at home plate, countless stolen bases - it was as though the players were all 18 years old again.

For the record, the Navajo team, coached by Owens, defeated Bromage's Pocumtuc squad in the opener, followed by Gaucher's Sioux team topping the Cherokee group of Cressotti's. Navajo won the championship game, 5-3, earning Chief Richard's Battle Axe, handcrafted by a member of the Navajo tribe near the Arizona home of event organizer Brian Riley.

Who won and who lost was truly insignificant - the real winners were all the players and spectators who turned out for such a joyous reunion - the winners were, and always will be, Raiders.

Photo credits: Phil Dumond