SALUNGA-LANDISVILLE, Pa. — The day couldn't pass by without many getting a gaze at the solar eclipse. That included local baseball players for Hempfield and Cedar Crest High Schools.
Both teams got to witness the eclipse before their game.
"It's pretty cool, we still get to play our game it's just delayed a little bit. It gave us a chance to see the solar eclipse," said Hempfield sophomore Logan Dougherty.
The delay in action was also due to keeping the players safe during warmups. Both teams were not permitted to hit fly balls to keep the eyes safe, a small change for a special day in the sky.
"The main thing we didn’t want to do was start our baseball game during the eclipse," said Hempfield athletic director Ryan Landis. "We delayed the start of our game so that we were beyond the eclipse."
The delay allowed the eclipse to pass before getting into game action. Allowing players and coaches to experience the phenomenon before shifting their focus to the game.
"It’s a neat thing for our players and young men to be able to experience this," said Hempfield head coach Jeremy Morrison. "It doesn’t happen very often and then to have a baseball game after, it will be a good afternoon either way."
Hempfield was able to take down Cedar Crest 5-1.