Crime & Safety
Master Batter Hits Banger in Softball Postgame Skirmish
Man tells police he got clobbered trying to break up a scuffle between softball teams after a game at Centennial Park.
A 24-year-old man told police he got punched in the head when he tried to break up a scuffle after a softball game at Centennial Park on July 15.
In a report filed at the Oak Lawn police station the next day, the victim and two friends told police that after the softball game, both sides lined up to shake hands with players on the opposing team.
A player from the Master Batters slapped a player on the Southside Bangers in the handshaking line, and a small scuffle broke out but fizzled quickly, the report said.
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As both teams gathered their stuff, a Master Batter charged one of the Bangers, the report said. The victim, who plays for the Bangers, told police the other player turned on him. The other player pulled the victim’s shirt over his head and punched him in the head and face, the report said.
Police said the victim’s friends corroborated his story in separate interviews. The victim and his friends know only the first name of the Master Batter player. The victim said he’ll sign a complaint.
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