Haverhill Police Beat Patriots All-Pro Team in Weekend Softball Game

Members of the Haverhill Police Department played softball against current and former New England Patriots on June 10, 2018 at Haverhill's Trinity Stadium. (File photograph courtesy of Officer Ryan Connelly/HPD)

Members of the Haverhill Police Department played softball against current and former New England Patriots on June 10, 2018 at Haverhill’s Trinity Stadium. (Photographs courtesy of Officer Ryan Connolly/HPD)

Haverhill Police warm up.

Haverhill’s Trinity Stadium got a touch of NFL greatness Sunday during the Haverhill Police Department’s annual Celebrity Softball Classic, beating out New England Patriots Fred Smerlas and Steve DeOssie in a final score of 12-10.

Vets Smerlas and DeOssie appeared alongside former fullback Patrick Pass, former offensive tackle Max Lane and current Patriots guard Jason King, among others.

The teams take the field.

Smerlas lent the All-Stars a hand by taking the mound for several innings, but deferred to younger Haverhill flag football players to run the bases on his behalf.

The Haverhill home team finished the six innings strong, with Officer Ruben Jimenez scoring the team’s winning run.

“It was a lot of fun, we scored a bunch of runs and everyone played well,” Jimenez told WHAV after the game.

Jimenez participated along with Sergeants Thomas Howell, John Spero, Nicholas Brown, Joseph Ingham and Officers Jared Brady, Justin Graham, Carlos Arriaga, Jason Pearl, Chris Pagliuca, James Keenan, Kevin Portnoy, Chery Victoria, David Rodriguez, Jordan Bergevine and Brittney Birch. Eric MacKinnon served as team captain and Nicole Donnelly was behind the plate. Tiffany Maldonado and other department staffers ran a concession stand throughout the game.

DeOssie has played as a member of the pro team for several years and told WHAV he’s always happy to return to Haverhill.

“They always put a good squad up against us, but they’re all here for the same reason we are: To help out the community. (Haverhill Police) have been great for the community and anything we can do to help their efforts is the tip of the iceberg,” DeOssie said during a break from signing autographs and taking photos with local fans.

Money raised at Sunday’s game supports the efforts of the Haverhill Police Relief Association, the group’s president James Keenan said.