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Guns vs. Hoses additional images

Barry Byers Local news

Image: Italy Firefighter Jackie Cate offers a little something to Umpire Robert Hodge, imploring Hodge to keep the game fair.

Italy Firefighter Jackie Cate offers a little something to Umpire Robert Hodge, imploring Hodge to keep the game fair. (Barry Byers)

Image: Italy Firefighter Richard Dabney handles the pre-game announcements.
Image: The Italy Police Department, aka Italy’s Finest, is introduced before the game.
Image: Randy Boyd displays the Italy Fire Department’s battle axe during pre-game introductions.
Image: Italy Firefighter Michael Chambers helps get the mojo going as he hustles down the line with the battle axe.
Image: I.F.D.‘s Donald Chambers offers I.P.D.’s Chief Diron Hill a police version of the firemen’s battle axe with a donut bat topped with sprinkles. 
Image: I.F.D.’s Ethan Simon seems concerned with the speed trap put in place along the first base line by I.P.D. officers Eric Tolliver and Jamie Thompson.
Image: Firefighter Jackie Cate gets the fireworks started early with an over-the-fence home run.
Image: Pitching the entire way for the Italy Police Department is Brad Elliott.
Image: Earl “Red” Buchanan starts on the mound for the Italy Fire Department.
Image: Italy Police Chief Diron Hill helps lead his squad to a victory.
Image: Jeff Evans finishes running the bases after hitting one out of the park for the Italy Fire Department.
Image: Firefighter Paul Cockerham puts the ball into play.
Image: I.P.D.’s Robert McFarland keeps Paul Cockerham from reaching second base.
Image: Officer Daniel Pitts prepares to send one deep.
Image: First baseman, Bobby McBride(15), keeps his foot on the bag to get Officer Daniel Pitts out with Umpire Hank Hollywood making the call.
Image: Officer Michael Richardson helps his team rally.
Image: Police Chief Diron Hill yells for his teammate to hold the ball as firefighter Michael Chambers makes his way home.
Image: Officer Michael Richardson(10) runs a victory lap with the donut bat held high to celebrate his teammate’s, Officer Shawn Martin, out-of-the-park home run.
Image: Shelbee Landon lives up to the hype and delivers for the Italy Police Department.
Image: Officer Daniel Pitts(04) makes the catch at first base to get Firefighter Brad Chambers out to end the exciting matchup.
Image: Rodney Guthrie and his Italy Police Department teammates took aim on the prize and shot their way to a comeback win.
Image: The Italy Police Department poses with the official Guns Vs. Hoses trophy that will travel between departments each year depending on which side wins the game. Back row: DPS Trooper Vance Griffin, Officer Shawn Martin, Chief Diron Hill, Officer Michael Richardson, Citizens Police Academy member Kelly Westbrook, Police Commissioner Rodney Guthrie. Middle row: Ellis County Constable Brad Elliott, Bryan Police Officer Robert McFarland, Officer Daniel Pitts and Criminal Investigator Perry Kaemerling. Bottom row: Sergeant Tierra Mooney, the Guns Vs. Hoses trophy and Officer Shelbee Landon.
Image: Police Chief Diron Hill and Italy Firefighter Donald Chambers teamed up their departments for a great cause to support the Italy Police Department’s “Shop with a Cop” charity.

Upchurch Park, Italy — In an effort to raise money in support of their “Shop with a Cop” charity, the Italy Police Department joined forces with Italy Fire Department in a Guns Vs. Hoses softball game that thrilled fans and served up plenty of humor along the way

Whether it was Firefighter Randy Boyd being frisked in the batter’s box, or Firefighter Jackie Cate claiming police brutality after a prolonged tag at second base, or the speed trap setup by officers Eric Tolliver and Jamie Thompson along the first base line using a radar gun and speed limit sign posting a 2 mph minimum, Italy’s Finest and Italy’s Hottest kept the laughs and the hits coming.

Outstanding pitching efforts by Brad Elliott for the I.P.D. and Red Buchanan and Jackie Cate for the I.F.D. kept the game rolling along at a nice pace. Bobby McBride played a key role for the firefighters at first base while Officer Daniel Pitts was just as reliable for the force covering first base.

The firefighters led early but a few timely home run shots by the I.P.D. and a couple of clutch catches by center fielder, Officer Shelbee Landon, allowed Chief Hill’s heroes to rally back to win the game. However, the ultimate winners will be the kids and their families that will benefit in December from ongoing fundraising efforts to support the “Shop with a Cop” charity.

After a second game played between a citizens team and a combined team of both officers and firefighters, a 15 minute fireworks show lit up the night sky that could be seen from miles away to cap off a fun night for the City of Italy.

Although there was plenty of stretching going on before the coin toss, there were no city workers harmed in the making of this video with the rehab truck seeing little action.

Even more images from the first annual event