By Joseph Edgerton
Staff Writer

They say that winning isn’t everything, and nowhere was this more clear than during Neighborhood News’ latest appearance at the Crispin’s House charity softball tournament on Friday, July 29, at the Villa Augustina fields.

Staff writers, advertisers and others faced off against the Goffstown police and fire departments; against the cops, they continued a grudge match years in the making, and in the other they defended themselves against batters who would make an artillery commander green with envy.

In the end, the newspaper’s team, along with the GPD, GFD, Goffstown Rotary Club and Goffstown Main Street, were all also-rans. Goffstown Junior Baseball secured bragging rights for next year, winning the tournament after defeating the police for the second time that night.

The games were played to support Crispin’s House, the evening’s big winners, a Goffstown-area charity established in 1989 to help kids stay drug, alcohol and tobacco free.

Laurie Hambleton, executive director of the charity for more than three years, was pleased with the turnout.

“It’s really incredible to see everyone,” she said. “It’s great to see families having fun, and people playing and interacting. Events like these are wonderful because they let us tell people about our good work.”

The games, always intense battles, had moments of levity. Early in the fourth inning of Neighborhood News’ loss to the Goffstown Police Department, Jeff Brown managed to lob a taped-up grapefruit into the strike zone, where Officer Chuck Nickerson connected squarely and vaporized the fruit.

Nickerson connected squarely on his next swing as well, blasting the pitch over the fence, well past news outfielders Jeff Dionne and Tim Graf.

While the games were being played, Crispin’s House held a silent auction for various prizes; among them were Fisher Cats tickets, Red Sox tickets, a DVD player, a “car spa” package and a kit filled with back to school supplies.

For more information about Crispin’s House, call 603-497-3499.