WORCESTER, Mass. — Several parents in Worcester are still shaken up after a brawl broke out at their daughters’ softball game Monday night at Vernon Hill Park.
“It breaks my heart to think that we had to literally run off the field,” said Mary Ellen, one of the parents at Monday’s game. “If it happens again, we won’t be coming, and that’s sad for my daughter who loves to play.”
These parents say dozens of kids jumped over the fence unprovoked and disrupted the game during the 5th inning.
“They jumped the fence, couple more started jumping the fence, started pulling their pants down, yelling obscenities,” said Laurie, one of the parents at the game.
Eventually the coaches were able to get the kids to leave and continue the game, but the group came back in the 7th inning.
One parent captured some of the chaos in a cell phone video that has been shared by hundreds on social media.
A few parents also saw one of the teens holding a knife.
Jim Marks was one of the coaches seen in the video trying to calm everyone down.
“It was definitely a crazy time, you know you’re looking around, you’re making sure you have your own back, you’re making sure you have everyone around you back, making sure the kids are safe because our primary goal is the kids,” said Jim Marks.
Coach Marks even ended the game early because of the commotion and the softball league is now cancelling all other games for the rest of the week.
These parents say chaos continued in the parking lot, where the teens surrounded one of the coach’s cars.
“They were banging his car, I think they dropped a boulder on his hood,” said Bob Hilli, a parent who was at the game.
Worcester police say they responded to a call for this disruption, but when they arrived the group of teens ran away.
Some of these parents worry the pandemic has fueled some this outrage with basketball courts and other activities closed this summer.
“I hope this opens up the city’s eyes to maybe say maybe we need to open up some areas for these kids to start playing,” said Marks. “We need to let these kids know we care about them and we need to give them something to do.”
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